Event overview
A one day symposium supported by the Popular Music Research Unit, Department of Music, Goldsmiths, University of London.
Digitalisation has profoundly changed the way that popular music is created, circulated and consumed, and has posed a series of critical questions for music makers, music industry organizations and academic researchers. It has also – or so it is alleged – offered greater choice to consumers while devaluing the economic value and cultural importance of recordings. Though much writing about the digitalisation of pop music has focused on consumption, this symposium brings together music makers, music industry people and academic researchers to debate the issues from the perspective of musicians and producers.
Some issues that will be addressed:
What are the consequences of the album and single becoming invisible or intangible? The physical artefact that stands alone on public display in a record shop, or on private display in a record collection, occupies a symbolic space, one filled with art, images, and tactile physical objects harbouring powerful associations to musicians and for fans. Is this symbolic presence no more, or has it just shifted elsewhere?
Is there any longer a place for the album as a coherent artistic statement, containing songs or tracks arranged in a fixed sequence? While consumers have embraced the ability to pick, choose and shuffle tracks, musicians have expressed anxieties about the way their work will be heard and used. Is it now futile to produce albums with tracks given a definitive sequence? Are there contradictions between the musicians’ demands as creators and their experiences as consumers of others’ recordings? Is there any place for artwork and liner notes – do those things even matter?
Are we living through the end of private ownership of the musical artefact and the birth of universal resort to the ‘cloud’, the great jukebox in the sky? In the name of access, the cloud model may just deliver the latest reshaping of a light, fast, dematerialized supercapitalism that brought us outsourcing, call centres and sweatshops. What are the economic and cultural consequences of infinite supply, constant availability and intangibility? How will it impact upon the private ownership of songs by copyright holders, and can musicians live off drops from the cloud?
Speakers will include:
Nicola Dibben – musicologist, currently collaborating with Björk
Eamonn Forde – music industry commentator, Digital Editor Music Week
Matthew Herbert – musician, composer, Accidental Records
Holly Bott and Fred Bolza – Sony Music
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 15 Oct 2011 | 9:30am - 6:00pm |
Accessibility
If you are attending an event and need the College to help with any mobility requirements you may have, please contact the event organiser in advance to ensure we can accommodate your needs.
