CfC: Book on Platformization of Music Production (Deadline: 25.06.2025)
Call for chapters to a book on the platformization of music production
We hereby invite contributions to a volume 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 we hosted at the University of Oslo in May 2025.
We invite chapter contributions that explore platformization in terms of the technological platforms as well as implications for “platformized” creative practice. We are currently in dialogue with a renowned university press, aiming to complete 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, we 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. We 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.
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, 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.
We 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 email[dot]kraugerud[at]imv]dot]uio[dot]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. We will then also provide a more detailed description of the requirements and timeline of the book.
Best regards,
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 project, funded by the Research Council of Norway.