IASPM Journal

Editorial

2022-11-16T07:56:39-08:00

Navigating the artist-label relationship: artist perspectives on working with record labels.

2021-11-19T04:29:19-08:00

The relationship between artists and record labels is instrumental in developing successful artist careers. Such relationships are periodically discussed in the popular media, with a narrative that often casts them as disadvantageous for artists. However, there lacks formal research into the nature and quality of these relationships, and the factors that influence their outcomes. Numerous published videographic media were analysed to investigate artists’ perspectives on the nature of these relationships, and the extent to which such perspectives aligned with media narratives. Analysis showed that artists expressed both negative and positive perspectives. Pertinent factors included: the competence, expertise, and value of labels, the contract, the nature of interpersonal interaction between artist and label, and the alignment of expectations and goals. In many cases, the behaviours and characteristics of specific individuals within a label had significant impact on whether artists’ experiences were positive or negative. Organizational and systemic factors were also influential.

Musical ecologies of grief: breathing and environmental justice in Love Ssega’s “Our World (Fight for Air)”

2022-04-26T03:18:03-07:00

This paper will consider how ecological grief is managed in “Our World (Fight for Air)”, a single released in 2021 by British-Ugandan musician Love Ssega, which addresses the deadly consequences of air pollution on the South Circular road in London. In light of sparse musicological engagement with ecological grief and air, I bring together the concepts of a “political ecology of air-and-breathing-bodies” (Allen 2020) and “weathering” (Neimanis and Walker 2014) to illustrate that, in Ssega’s work, (safe) breathing becomes political, traversed by vectors of race and class. Paying attention to air and breathing facilitates an understanding of how Ssega’s music can help us grieve well, on scales attuned to both individual tragedy and the enormous, distributed nature of environmental pollution. I argue that this music shapes “ecologies of grief” which are communal and therefore can help us engage with loss, not merely as mourners, but as makers of safer futures.

Polyrhythm as a Bridge for Group Improvisation in Brazilian Jazz: An Analysis of the Performance of Trio Corrente

2022-01-27T02:56:40-08:00

This research aims to analyze the establishment of a communicational basis from polyrhythmic occurrences in the performance of Trio Corrente, a Brazilian jazz group from São Paulo. The analysis presents re-readings of songs already known in Brazilian popular music, restructured and shaped through the incorporation of polyrhythmic elements. Research was carried out in three stages: (1) selection and transcription of excerpts from live and studio performances of the trio; (2) musical analysis of the transcribed works, in order to explore aspects related to the non-verbal interaction presented in the performances (3) structural analysis of language proposed by Jakobson (1960) and adapted by Vuust, Ostergaard and Roepstorff (2006) to analyze communication through the rhythm. It was found that polyrhythm plays a central role in the non-verbal interactions of the group. This research is expected to contribute to the development of rhythmic teaching and non-verbal interaction among musicians. KEYWORDS:

Lady Day on Screen

2022-03-25T07:04:18-07:00

Jazz singer Billie Holiday (1915 – 1959) is a hugely influential figure. The impact of her vocal craft – particularly her distinctive timbre, adroit use of rubato, and compellingly emotional interpretations – can be traced across subsequent generations of singers (Szwed 2015). However, details of her turbulent personal life often overshadow explorations of her musical legacy. The most recent depiction of Lady Day’s life on screen, Lee Daniels’ The United States vs. Billie Holiday, is arguably the latest retrospective to fall into this trap. However, this article argues that its mixed reception might be indicative of a small but significant shift in how Holiday’s life and work are understood. Drawing on critical reactions to the film, it explores the ways in which a narrative shift in storytelling around Holiday can be identified, and how this can contribute to our understanding of the malleability of the posthumous careers of iconic musicians.

You Better Work: Work in Studies on Communication and Music in Brazil

2022-06-07T01:18:55-07:00

This article analyses how the world of work, as a material dimension, is treated in the study of music in Brazil, based on a meta-research and systematic review. The corpus consists of articles taken from the Compós and Intercom conferences.There are 178 papers. The basis of the analysis was: if the subject of work is mentioned in the research, even if not in such terms; which words are associated with the world of work; what significance does work have in each of the studies into the field of music. In general, work seems to be a word that is not said and not considered, but it makes itself known through synonyms like practices, industry and professionalization, mainly in three areas: a) industry, business and the market; b) work activities; c) places and scenes where work activities take place.

“I’m a feminist, do you hate me?”: Constructions of Feminism by Sajsi MC

2022-04-25T08:51:32-07:00

The paper focuses on the public persona of a popular female rapper from Serbia, Ivana Rašić, performing under the stage name Sajsi MC. As she openly calls herself a feminist, my goal will be to shed light onto how feminism is constructed in her discourse and music, taking into account the specificities of the post-socialist Serbian society and the transformation of the market (and life in general) into a neoliberal one, as well as certain strategies of the popular music industry. Given that she is active within the music market, and is involved in the creation of various products offered for consumption to audiences in the region, my goal will be to understand how feminism, as a category and a label, is envisioned, appropriated, reimagined and renegotiated within such a context, and how it is used by Sajsi MC as a strategy for positioning herself within the local music industry.

"My Church": Nostalgia, Tradition, and the Rise of the Secular Praise and Worship Anthem

2022-01-27T03:21:45-08:00

Maren Morris’s song, “My Church,” is hardly controversial, with harmonies, form, and lyrics that give reverential honor to country music’s conservative and sacred traditions. “My Church” fits well within this conservative tradition, yet evangelical websites were replete with warnings of the dangerous threat planted by Morris’s secular restructuring of the traditional church and included strategies for how to thwart such threats. This article analyzes Morris’s song and music video, searching for musical, lyrical, and cultural reasons for that negative response and explores the meaning of religion through the reaction to the song.

Civilizational dissent at late 1990’s: body, fashion and club cultures in contemporary society

2021-07-07T12:36:04-07:00

British fashion of the 1990s manifests a fin-de-siècle social anxiety. Facing a systemic crisis of culture, some designers embodied the sociological concepts of risk and carnivalization in their creations. This attitude is reflected in the emergence of themes such as the wasted look and abject aesthetics, epistemological solutions arising from a legacy of grunge experiences. Based on a documental approach, materialized in media and art works, to some British fashion shows of the 1990s, we will discuss in this article several aspects of the relationships between body, risk, carnival and fashion, focusing on the works of British designers and its manifestation in the hidden economies (club cultures scenes included), in which Alexander McQueen played a central role.

Review: Popular Music and the Postcolonial

2021-11-08T02:39:35-08:00