APPLYING THE MEANS-END CHAIN MODEL OPERATIONALIZED THROUGH THE ASSOCIATION PATTERN TECHNIQUE TO UNDERSTAND MUSIC CONSUMPTION

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to increase the comprehension of the music consumer behavior applying the Means-End Chain Model, applying the Association Pattern Technique (APT). A popular music style, the new metal, most commonly related to young people, was chosen as object of the study. In the first phase of the study, 9 in-depth interviews were conducted and in the second one, 240 respondents were surveyed. The Means-End Chain Model identifies the associative relationships between consumer values and the perceived benefits and attributes of the music. The most important music attributes in terms of the probability of providing benefits were, in order of importance, the sound "aggressiveness", the lyrics "criticism", the "sound intensity" (bass), and the "rebelliousness" transmitted by the music. It was also found that the most important consumer values related to the music benefits were the "excitement/relaxation" and the "exhilaration/euphoria" aroused by the music. Based on a Latent Class Model the study also proposes a typology based on the hierarchy of personal values, described according probabilistic maps that point the relationship between variables for each group.