[Commlist] CFP: Symposium on the platformization of music production

CFP: Symposium on the platformization of music production**

/May 2–3, 2025, University of Oslo, Department of Musicology/

The PLATFORM 
<https://www.hf.uio.no/imv/english/research/projects/platform/index.html>-project 
at University of Oslo’s Department of Musicology invites contributions 
to a symposium on the platformization of music production.

This symposium asks how contemporary platforms of music production are 
developed and what their significance might be for music making. We 
thereby invite explorations of platformization in terms of the 
technological platforms as well as the implications for ‘platformized’ 
creative practice.

The basic meaning of ‘platform’ is a ‘raised level surface on which 
people or things can stand’ (Oxford English Dictionary), and it 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 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 has also engaged with the 
platformization of production resources, such as online services 
offering automated mastering (Landr; see Sterne and Razlogova 2020) or 
royalty-free samples (Splice; see Arrieta 2021). Digital audio 
workstations, such as Apple’s Logic Pro or Ableton’s Live, increasingly 
resemble what Foxman (2019) calls ‘platform tools’ that 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. 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.

The symposium encourages a broad approach 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. We want to inspire further research by drawing attention to the 
rise of what we propose to call ‘platforms of production’ and to the 
evolving range of digital and networked tools and services that in 
various ways facilitate and restrict contemporary music production and 
creative audio work in general.

We 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.
  * 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.

With these suggested topics we encourage contributions from, and indeed 
across, the scholarly fields of media studies, music research, cultural 
studies, sociology, creative industries research, software studies, and 
beyond.

**

*Paper format and abstracts*

We invite proposals for 20-minute presentations (with 10 minutes for 
Q&A). The symposium will be organized as an in-person event, with 
limited possibilities for remote presentations. Please submit abstracts 
of up to 300 words via the submission form 
https://nettskjema.no/a/447666 <https://nettskjema.no/a/447666> by 
December 10, 2024.

Keynote talks will be announced later.

*Publication*

Based on the theme of the symposium and its paper contributions, we will 
work towards publishing an edited collection with an international 
academic publisher. Presenting authors will in that case be invited to 
submit a full paper for peer review and inclusion as a chapter of this book.

For any questions, please contact Professor Yngvar Kjus at 
(yngvar.kjus /at/ imv.uio.no) <mailto:(yngvar.kjus /at/ imv.uio.no)> or Postdoctoral 
Research Fellow Emil Kraugerud at (emil.kraugerud /at/ imv.uio.no) 
<mailto:(emil.kraugerud /at/ imv.uio.no)>. For more information on the PLATFORM 
project, see this link 
<https://www.hf.uio.no/imv/english/research/projects/platform/index.html>.



*References*

Arrieta A (2021) Splice and the platformization of hip hop production: 
Navigating the online music platform for royalty-free samples, /Global 
Hip Hop Studies/ 2(2), 219–236. DOI: 
https://doi.org/10.1386/ghhs_00045_1 <https://doi.org/10.1386/ghhs_00045_1>

Gillespie T (2010) The politics of platforms, /New Media and 
Society/ 12(3), 347–364. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444809342738 
<https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444809342738>.

Kiberg H (2023) (Plat)formatted creativity: Creating music in the age of 
streaming, /Cultural Sociology/, online first. DOI: 
https://doi.org/10.1177/17499755231202055 
<https://doi.org/10.1177/17499755231202055>

Morris JW (2020) Music platforms and the optimization of culture, 
/Social Media and Society/ 6(3). DOI: 10.1177/2056305120940690 
<https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120940690>_._

Nieborg DB and Poell T (2018) The platformization of cultural 
production: Theorizing the contingent cultural commodity, /New Media and 
Society/ 20(11), 4275–92. DOI:__https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818769694 
<https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818769694>_._

Sterne J and Razlogova E (2021) Tuning sound for infrastructures: 
Artificial intelligence, automation, and the cultural politics of audio 
mastering, /Cultural Studies/ /35/(4–5), 750–770. DOI: 
_https://doi.org/10.1080/09502386.2021.1895247_






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