Sociomusicology: Music in an Uncertain Global Economy

3/31/09

Music in an Uncertain Global Economy

Here are two important news stories of relevance to the future of music in the global economy:

(1) According to a very recent report, Google (in partnership with Warner, Sony, Universal, EMI, and others) has just launched a new music service in China that may help open an enormous music market that has until now consisted of 99% pirated copies and illegal file sharing. In theory, this could be a very positive development for professional musicians, but will it be so?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/06/technology/companies/06music.html

(2) A BBC World Service survey of 29,000 people has found “broad support for reform of the international economic system ahead of the G20 summit.” According to the article, “More than 70% of people in 29 countries think major changes are needed in the way the global economy is run.”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7970625.stm

Despite such survey results, there is also strong evidence that many place little faith in the G20:

http://uk.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKTRE5354K320090406

Also, here is a link to the 2009 digital music report of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which offers an industry perspective on recent changes in music production and consumption:

http://www.ifpi.org/

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Welcome to Sociomusicology

For over 15 years (since 2007), this website has offered musings on contemporary society and its music by David G. Hebert, PhD. He is a sociomusicologist specializing in global music education who has held academic positions with universities on five continents. Dr. Hebert is now a tenured full Professor with Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen. There he leads the Grieg Academy Music Education (GAME) research group and manages the multinational government-funded Nordic Network for Music Education, which organizes annual intensive Master courses and exchange of teachers and students across eight countries. He is also an Affiliated Professor with University of the Faroe Islands and an Honorary Professor in China with the Education University of Hong Kong.

Professor Hebert's research applies an international-comparative perspective to issues of pluralism, identity, and cultural relevance in music education, as well as processes by which new music traditions emerge and change - both sonically and socially - as they are adopted into institutions. Born in the 1970s, he is among the most widely-published and globally-active music scholars of his generation (h-index:20; i10-index:30), with professional activities in an average of 8 countries per year across the past decade (2008-2020).