This research project is a collaborative effort seeking to investigate whether or not music production is dependent on institutional resources. Specifically, the researchers are looking at Central Asia–previously controlled by the Soviet Union–in contrast to European countries, and working to discern any causation related to institutional resources.
The institutional resources we are referring to would be the Audio Engineering Society, a transnational organization that provides academic information on the art of music production, as well as provides networking/training opportunities for its members. With a significant focus on academic institutions, the AES does inadvertently lend itself to more privileged communities/individuals. The European countries in question have a direct connection to the AES, as the AES has a chapter in these countries. Central Asia, composed of only five countries, does not have a single AES chapter within its borders. This does not necessarily mean that Central Asian music is of lesser quality than European music, and we do not intend to suggest anything of the sort. We merely seek to understand why these post-Soviet countries do not have a relationship with the AES, and if a lack of relationship has any impact–positive or negative–on music production in those geographic regions.
We will be using SoundCloud, Last.fm, Reddit Music, YouTube and academic institutions to find and share music from the geographic locations of our focus. Additional research will provide historical background on these geographic spaces, and ideally we will make contact with musicians from these locations in order to get their perspective on what we are seeking to understand
Further Reading & References
Music Consumption And The Construction Of The Portuguese Popular Song
Swedish Sound Engineers Society
BELGIUM’S RECORDED MUSIC BUSINESS GROWS 6.5% IN 2016
Economy stalls – music export grows
TRAVEL INFO AES 51st Conference, Helsinki, Finland, August 21-24, 2013.
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