Popular Music in the Post-Digital Age: Politics, Economy, Culture and Technology

Description

Popular Music in the Post-Digital Age explores the relationship between macro environmental factors, such as politics, economics, culture and technology, captured by terms such as 'post-digital' and 'post-internet'. It also discusses the creation, monetisation and consumption of music and what changes in the music industry can tell us about wider shifts in economy and culture. This collection of 13 case studies covers issues such as curation algorithms, blockchain, careers of mainstream and independent musicians, festivals and clubs-to inform greater understanding and better navigation of the popular music landscape within a global context. Cover page Halftitle page Title page Copyright page Contents List of Contributors Introduction: The Future of and Through Music When did the present begin? Breaking and consolidating: the music industry under conditions of convergent digitization Invest in yourself or perish: the careers of contemporary musicians Music like water or a drug: the new modes of consumption of music The material, structure and chapter description Note References Part One The Music Industry 1 Rethinking Independence: What Does ‘Independent Record Label’ Mean Today? Independence in popular music Overview of the Polish recording market and methodology A two-tiered music industry Minor record labels Independent record labels Conclusions Acknowledgements Notes References 2 The Future of Digital Music Infrastructures: Expectations and Promises of the Blockchain ‘Revolution Technology, infrastructures and the shaping of digital music What is blockchain and how does it work? Blockchain, the music industry and the rhetoric of fair music Five technological promises about music blockchain Competing infrastructures, the incompatibility of music data and the pressures to music monetization Conclusion Note References 3 ‘The Sound of the Future Is Here Today’: The Market for Post- rock within the Traditiona lSmall Music Festival Landscape Methodology Post-rock Alternative alternative ArcTanGent Fieldwork Conclusion Acknowledgements References 4 ‘They Sold the Festival Out!’ Axionormativity as the Future of Festivals The axio-normative orders of festivals Values in action Serbian essence’, ‘Polish mecca’ and ‘Hungarian Woodstock’ Visuality, fans, organizers Conclusions References 5 The Hidden Worker Bees: Advanced Neoliberalism and Manchester’s Underground Club Scene Club culture within British society Manchester clubbing history The new independents – Hidden and The White Hotel The club culture hybrids: Eastern Bloc, Partisan Collective and sponsored house parties Conclusion References Part Two The Musicians and their Music 6 The Adaptive Musician: The Case of Peter Hook and Graham Massey The late 1970s and 1980s in the North- West: swimming against the tide Peter Hook: punk to payment Graham Massey: payment from punk Conclusions Notes References 7 Where Do We Go From Here? The Futureof Composers in the Post- digital Era The new tools Changing definitions Hyperinflation of music A Swedish context The interviews Conclusion Notes References 8 Searching for International Success in Europe’s Periphery: The Case of Gin Ga and Fran Palermo Popular music in Austria and Hungary Making a career in music in the province during the period of advanced convergent digitization Gin Ga: settling for semi-professionalism Fran Palermo: diversified portfolio with a core Conclusion References 9 Electro Swing: Re- introducing the Sounds of the Past into the Music of the Future A history of electro swing Reconnecting with the past Springing into the future Conclusion References Discography Filmography Part Three Music Consumption 10 Back to the Future: Proposing a Heuristic for Predicting the Future of Recorded Music Use The problems with producing predictions The hard work of music consumption Presenting a heuristic instead of a history Creating the criteria for consumption Decreasing the work required to be content with content What the participant consumer really, really wants – proposing a heuristic of record music use Conclusion Note References 11 Current Music and Media Use of Young People in Austria: The Musical Practice of the Future?1 New conditions Empirical findings Conclusion Notes References 12 Curators as Taste Entrepreneurs in the Digital Music Industries The power of lists Legitimate omnivorousness: taste, society and neoliberalism Intermediaries: taste, technology and control Curators as ‘taste entrepreneurs’ Conclusions Notes References 13 An Echoic Chamber: Algorithmic Curation and Personalized Listening Data-driven personalization The filter bubble What lies ahead Conclusion References Index