[Commlist] Call for chapters on the platformization of music production

Yngvar Kjus and Emil Kraugerud invite contributions to a book on how 
contemporary platforms of music production are developed and what their 
significance is for music making. The initiative is inspired by the 
presentations and discussions at the Symposium on the platformization of 
music production that they hosted at the University of Oslo in May 2025.

They invite chapter contributions that explore platformization in terms 
of the technological platforms as well as implications for 
“platformized” creative practice. They are currently in dialogue with a 
renowned university press, aiming to complete and release the book in 2026.

A starting point for exploring platforms of music is the definition of 
“platform” as a “raised level surface on which people or things can 
stand” (Oxford English Dictionary). The term has been associated with 
networked services that are able to accommodate a growing range of users 
and somehow transform the relationship between them (e.g. Gillespie, 
2010). The notion of a platformization of music making has perhaps 
primarily been associated with distribution services, such as Spotify, 
and the way songwriting is influenced by recommendation systems and 
mood-based playlists that promotes listening (e.g. Morris 2020, Kiberg 
2023). Recent research, however, has also engaged with the 
platformization of production resources, including online services 
offering automated mastering (Landr; see Sterne and Razlogova 2020) or 
royalty-free samples (Splice; see Arrieta 2021).

Digital audio workstations (DAWs), such as Apple’s /Logic Pro/ or 
Ableton’s /Live/, increasingly resemble what Foxman (2019) calls 
“platform tools,” which are “integral to the entire production process” 
and able to “act as an intermediary between industries and platforms.” 
These technologies increasingly offer opportunities of online production 
and real-time collaboration while also providing networked distribution 
facilities (e.g. Kjus 2024). Social media platforms, such as TikTok, are 
also integrating creative and distributive activities in new ways, while 
AI-based platforms offer new opportunities (and challenges) for music 
producers as well as consumers of music.

For this volume, they encourage multiple approaches to the 
platformization of music production, including the “intricate interplay” 
between platforms and users, and its cultural, social and economic 
aspects (see Nieborg and Poell 2018). Platforms have the appeal of being 
able to support a growing range of people and practices and to somehow 
transform the relationship between them, for instance within the field 
of do-it-yourself musicking. Research has, however, increasingly engaged 
with who and what platforms actually support and how interactions and 
practices might be organized to the benefit of certain interests over 
others. They want to inspire further research by drawing attention to 
the rise of music platforms as platforms of production and to the 
evolving range of digital and networked tools and services that in 
various ways facilitate and restrict contemporary music making and 
creative audio work.

They invite theoretical, empirical, analytical, critical and conceptual 
contributions on topics including, but not restricted to:

  *
    The development of contemporary technologies and platforms of
    production, including digital audio workstations, plugins, AI tools,
    sample libraries, etc.
  *
    Relations between production and distribution platforms, and their
    joint influence on music making.
  *
    The platformization of creative practices and changing competency
    requirements, for instance for songwriters and producers.
  *
    The extension of platforms across sectors and markets of music. What
    kinds of labor relations and roles do platforms of production invite?
  *
    The collection and use of data through platforms, including
    potential implications for creative practice (including ethical and
    legal issues).
  *
    The use of artificial intelligence in existing and emerging platforms.
  *
    Emerging complimentary platforms and services, from specialized AI
    mastering tools (e.g. Landr) to aggregate services (e.g. Splice). Do
    we see the contours of a platform ecosystem of music making?
  *
    The significance of platforms of production for music making and
    sound design in audiovisual media (including interactive video games).
  *
    The influence of platforms of production on the economy and business
    of music making.
  *
    The influence of platforms of production on musical expression and
    aesthetics.
  *
    Platformization and challenges to established notions of creativity,
    ownership and copyright.
  *
    Sociopolitical implications of the use of different kinds of
    platforms, including diversity in music production culture and 
practice.


They plan on organizing the book around the following aspects of the 
platformization of music production: 1) Production for distribution 
platforms(e.g. music production for streaming), 2) Social media music 
production (e.g. music making on TikTok, YouTube, etc.), 3) The use 
music production software (e.g. creative use of DAWs and other tools), 
and 4) The development of platforms for music 
production(e.g.development, design and marketing of DAWs, plug-ins, 
sample libraries, AI tools, etc.).

Abstract submission: Please send extended abstracts to 
(_emil.kraugerud /at/ imv.uio.no) <mailto:(emil.kraugerud /at/ imv.uio.no)>_ by 
_Wednesday June 25_. The abstracts should be up to 1000 words, and 
should include:

  *
    Chapter title
  *
    Specification of topic and research question
  *
    Methods and theoretical approach
  *
    How you see your chapter contributing to the study of the
    platformization of music production
  *
    Your full name and current affiliation


Responses to the abstracts will be given by the end of August. They will 
then also provide a more detailed description of the requirements and 
timeline of the book.

Editors:

Yngvar Kjus, Professor of Music and Contemporary Media at the Dept. of 
Musicology, University of Oslo

Emil Kraugerud, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Dept. of Musicology, 
University of Oslo

This initiative is part of the _PLATFORM 
<https://www.hf.uio.no/imv/english/research/projects/platform/index.html>_ project, 
funded by the Research Council of Norway.


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