[Commlist] CfP: Library Music in Audiovisual Media, RMA Study Day

*Library Music in Audiovisual Media – Conference/RMA Study Day (15-16 
September 2022)*

Library music (also known as “stock” or “production” music) occupies a 
pervasive presence in audiovisual media. Rather than hiring a composer 
to write a bespoke score, or working with pre-existing commercial 
tracks, media producers can turn to catalogues of library cues—organised 
by categories such as mood, genre and instrumentation—to provide sonic 
content for their productions (see Durand 2020; Fink 2000; Tagg 2006). 
In the present day, library music is deployed in a wide range of 
contexts, including television, film, advertising, trailer production, 
online content, radio and background “muzak” in commercial spaces, 
whilst its antecedents can be found in the collections of musical cues 
of the silent film era. Despite this ubiquity, the creators of library 
music are most often excluded from broadcast credits and thus rendered 
“invisible” to audiences. In addition, library music is often overlooked 
in academic writing, or approached with prevailing negative value 
judgements. However, recent work—especially in relation to television 
(Donnelly 2005; Fitzgerald 2009; Mandell 2002; Wissner 2015), trailer 
production (Deaville 2017) and labour practices (Nardi 2012)—has begun 
to redress this balance. Given the emergence of recent disruptive 
technologies and practices in the digital era (such as royalty-free 
licensing models), and the renewed life of “vintage” library tracks 
through sampling and related fandom practices, there are ample 
opportunities to consider library music anew.

For this conference/study day, we invite proposals relating to all 
aspects of library music production, dissemination and reception, 
situated within a diverse array of cultural, geographical and historical 
contexts. We seek to understand both how library music is used within 
particular case studies and to chart its position across media cultures 
more broadly, with a primary focus on digital contexts of production and 
reception.

We would be delighted to hear from academics, composers and industry 
professionals spanning a broad range of disciplinary perspectives, whose 
work engages with library music in any form. We welcome proposals from 
postgraduate and early career researchers and would be pleased to 
receive submissions from those working outside of traditional academic 
contexts.

Possible topics may include, but are not limited to:

· *The selection and synchronisation of library music for specific media 
texts* (in film, television, social media, trailers, advertising etc.) 
*and contexts *(e.g. as theme tunes, underscore, sound effects etc.)

· *Library music and intertextuality*(the reuse of library tracks in 
multiple productions; the transformation/recomposition of tracks by 
users; the relationship between library music and other musical types)

· *Library music production practices* (industrial changes in the 
digital era; the role of virtual instruments and samples; the design of 
tracks for different media forms)

· *Library music composers *(their (in)visibility and anonymity; issues 
of credits and royalties; working routines and practices; distinctions 
between amateurs and professionals; notable composers) *and related 
production personnel *(e.g. music supervisors, library directors, 
post-production editors etc.)

· *Stereotypes and formulae *in library music catalogues (e.g. 
representations of race, gender or disability in textual keywords and 
sonic characteristics)

· *Library music and technology *(digital practices of composition, 
dissemination and monitoring of library music; the benefits/challenges 
of artificial intelligence for music creation and categorisation)

· *Library music and licensing* (conflicts between traditional and novel 
music licensing models; performing rights organisations; moral rights; 
copyright negotiations and infringements)

· *Library catalogues and companies* (practices of metadata tagging; 
marketing and branding; the “shelf life” and success of particular 
tracks, albums and genres)

· *Library music and fan cultures* (sampling in popular music; library 
music and hauntology; library music documentaries; album cover art; fan 
following of library music in online platforms)

· *Historical library music practices* (silent film music anthologies 
and newsreels; early library music companies etc.)

*·         The use of commercial music “as library music”*(practices of 
needledrop; the reuse of stock cues across television series/video games 
etc.)

Proposals can take the form of either individual 20-minute papers or 
themed panels comprising three papers. Please submit a 250-word abstract 
and a 100-word biography for each presenter to: 
(librarymusicconference /at/ gmail.com) 
<mailto:(librarymusicconference /at/ gmail.com)> by*_30^th April 2022._* For 
panel submissions, please also include a title and brief abstract for 
the overall panel.

We are thrilled to announce that this conference/study day will feature 
a keynote address from Professor Bethany Klein (School of Media and 
Communication, University of Leeds), author of/As Heard on TV: Popular 
Music in Advertising/(2009) and/Selling Out: Culture, Commerce and 
Popular Music/(2020).

The event will also incorporate industry contributions from composers 
Jessica Dannheisser (/Race for the Vaccine, Secret Safari: Into the 
Wild/) and Paul Mottram (Audio Network), library music director Jenny 
Oakes (JW Media Music) and library music historian, consultant and music 
supervisor David Hollander (author of /Unusual Sounds: The Hidden 
History of Library Music/).

To facilitate participation from scholars and practitioners based across 
the globe, we are planning for much of the event to be held virtually, 
with further details communicated in due course.

We are grateful to the Royal Musical Association (RMA) and the 
University of Leeds for their support of this event.

Conference committee: James Deaville (Carleton University), Júlia Durand 
(CESEM – NOVA University of Lisbon), Toby Huelin (University of Leeds), 
Melissa Morton (University of Edinburgh).

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