Due to societal trends, such as digitalisation, platformisation, and active and co-creative audiences, new organisational practices have surfaced. This study examines how communication practitioners experience their changing work in a new communication environment in which participatory cultural norms are becoming standard in strategic communication. I argue that the requirements to produce audience engagement affect the communication work and the communication workers. This study uses the popular music industry as a case, and is based on interviews with communication practitioners as well as on the qualitative text analysis of reports and newsletters from the music marketing firm Music Ally to the music industry. The study shows that communication practitioners within the industry experience a duty to create audience engagement—an engagement imperative. Although the practitioners are highly skilled in digital communication and social media, they often see the development of digital promotional culture as a challenge and express a lack of a deeper understanding of engagement. This study highlights implications for their professional roles, competences, and identities as well as ethical implications regarding the exploitation of audiences in communication work.

中文翻译：

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参与的必要性：音乐行业传播从业者的品牌工作经验

由于数字化、平台化以及积极和共同创造的受众等社会趋势，新的组织实践已经浮出水面。本研究探讨了传播从业者如何在新的传播环境中体验他们不断变化的工作，在这种环境中，参与性文化规范正在成为战略传播的标准。我认为产生观众参与的要求会影响传播工作和传播工作者。本研究以流行音乐行业为案例，基于对传播从业者的采访以及对音乐营销公司 Music Ally 对音乐行业的报告和通讯的定性文本分析。研究表明，行业内的传播从业者有责任创造受众参与——参与的必要性。尽管从业者在数字传播和社交媒体方面拥有很高的技能，但他们往往将数字宣传文化的发展视为一项挑战，并对参与度缺乏更深入的理解。本研究强调了对他们的专业角色、能力和身份的影响，以及在传播工作中利用受众的伦理影响。