The test result of this study shows similar validated models of the two music product types. Nonetheless, it does not necessarily imply that the values, the factors, or the reasons that music consumer make their consumption are totally the same. The research model with general result is shown in Figure 4.9 and 4.10, and further illustrations and limitations are discussed in the following sections.
Satisfaction R2=0.608
Repurchase Intention R2=0.546 Functional
Value Social
Value
Emotional Value
Epistemic Value
Conditional Value
21.449***
1.464
5.095***
4.415***
-1.488
28.866***
Note: *p<0.1; **p<0.05; ***p<0.01
Figure 4.9: Validated Model (printed)
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4.5.1 Implications
In both music product types, Social Value and Conditional Value do not significantly affect consumer’s satisfaction, which suggests that although the society has the popularity and atmosphere of listening to free or illegal music online, the idea of Social Value is not the driving factor that makes the music fans still willing to pay for legal music. This finding is consistent with Chen’s (2006) study, that users do not perceive Social Value in downloading music on Internet. On the other hand, the results can suggest that for subjects in both product types, typical music entertainment is the key issue in their consumption behavior instead of the conditions that happened rarely. These results are implying that the motivation of music consumption is simply self-oriented under normal entertainment purpose. Except of these rejected hypotheses factors, there are still some consumption values that drive the consumer willing to pay instead.
Satisfaction R2=0.572
Repurchase Intention R2=0.519 Functional
Value Social
Value
Emotional Value
Epistemic Value
Conditional Value
12.627***
-0.506
2.877***
2.169**
0.551
16.258***
Note: *p<0.1; **p<0.05; ***p<0.01
Figure 4.10: Validated Model (online)
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For example, first of all, consisting with Chen’s (2006) study surprisingly, the Epistemic Value is affecting consumer’s satisfaction significantly. This indicates that even though under the popularity of Internet it is quite possible for music consumers to listen to the music first before they make the purchase and music customers still can perceive novelty about music not only for online music but also printed music consumer. For printed music product, besides the novelty perceived by listening to new music, the physical characteristic could be another factor provides epistemic value for consumer. For example, like the novelty of opening an elaborate gift and discovering every subtle design of the artworks inside a printed album, or, the random lucky draw to get a star post card could also provide the epistemic value exclusively for printed music product type. While for online music product type, Epistemic Value is significant yet at the 0.05 level, this result might generate from the function of online streaming to stream unlimitedly on the online music database. At the same time, however, this is one of the research limitations of this study, the combination of digital download and online streaming as one online music product type, which means more comprehensive definition can be focused on in the related future study.
Secondly, although the result is consists with Chen’s (2006) study, the measuring ideas are diverse. Both music consumers of the two product types perceive Emotional Value from their music consumption, which is more straightforward to understand the implications behind. As discussed, this value is seen as the most driving factor that makes the music fans willing to pay for music instead of listening to it free online. No matter it is printed or online music consumer, spending money on the track they like or supporting their favorite artist is the most obvious and direct way to express their emotion to the artist and the music, and to express their own personality and style as well. This is particularly important as the driving factor for the idolism and the younger generations.
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And finally, the Functional Value is also significantly affecting customer’s satisfaction thoroughly in both product types, even though some questionnaire items are deleted and the factor extraction is not exactly in the same way. For online music product type, all the three extracted factors, Price, Quality, and Attribute all show significant in the result, which is pretty much consistent to the ideas of how the questionnaire is designed. Comparing to printed music, the average cost of online music consumption is undoubtedly lower, although it is only the digital item that the consumer can get, subjects can still perceive the price of online music satisfactory to fulfill their basic need of music. Moreover, different from the result obtained by Chen (2006), it shows that subjects are also satisfied about many aspects of the quality that online music provides, which could be explained that to attract and satisfy customers, online music providers definitely need to provide their products in great quality, and fortunately this effort seems to be accepted by the online music consumers as well. In the end, for the result of the third sub-factor Attribute, it also agrees with the characteristics of cloud computing as the convenience and accessibility as online music is anytime and anywhere, for any devices.
On the other hand, all of the sub-factors in Functional Value for printed music product type show significantly affecting consumer’s satisfaction as well as online music do. For example, first of all, even though the average cost of a copy of printed music album is certainly higher than the one in digital version, with the satisfactory quality, printed music consumers still perceived the price being worthy, affordable and reasonable. Secondly, the sub-factor Need is just a basic requirement that drives the consumer to buy a printed album, and notice that the requirement of great sound quality is seem as one of the basic needs, which indicates that most of the consumers are contented with the sound quality of the music product they purchase. And for the last sub-factor Attribute, in comparing to online music, the physical characteristic of
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printed music product certainly make it not as convenient as online music either to buy, to play, or to manage. However, just like price, printed music consumers are still satisfied with the physical attributes of printed music product. To sum up the Functional Value of printed music product type, the result could also be indicated that even though the higher price yet lower convenience comparing to online music, printed music consumers have a pretty strong enthusiasm in purchasing and collecting those printed music products.
4.5.2 Limitations
This study is to pursue the integrity and comprehensiveness in the entire research procedure, while in concern with some practical issues, there must have some limitations, which are listed as follows:
1. The demographical data is not well balanced in terms of gender and age, and/or the classification of age should be divided into more level of scale.
2. The definition of online music product type is a combination of digital download and online streaming, whereas the notions of these two types of business model are somewhat distinct from each other.
3. The comparison could be limited by the broad-spectrum design of questionnaire in this study, more characteristics, which could be more focused, more exclusive, or subtler, can be added into the concept of the consumption values for the two music product types.
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Chapter Five: Conclusion
This study conducts Sheth et al.’s (1991a, 1991b) five consumption value to investigate the factors that will affect music lover’s post-purchased consumer behavior in satisfaction and repurchase intention. Furthermore, two research models are involved for the two contrariety product types, tradition printed music and digital online music, and to make a comparison, trying to understand the reason why music fans are still willing to spend money on music products, and what factors make them choose between these two product types. The final conclusion of this paper is
discussed in this chapter.