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| Semester | spring semester 2020 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Maria Eriksson (maria.eriksson@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | The aim of this seminar is to explore and critically discuss how digital technologies shape people’s ways of interacting with music online. Since the 1990s, the distribution of music has increasingly moved into the digital domain, and music applications such as Spotify, SoundCloud, and YouTube now play a significant role in regulating how audiences reach music. How are digital platforms for music similar and/or different from the distributive systems that came before them? What cultural ideas and norms are built into online services for music, and how do they shape listener’s ways of finding, enjoying, and engaging with music? What role does formats, protocols, and compression techniques play in deciding how music moves and circulates in the online domain? And what happens when important decisions regarding music are increasingly outsourced to algorithms, software technologies, and ‘intelligent’ machines? In the seminar, we will discuss topics such as the politics of music recommendation systems, the cultural and financial dynamics of music interface design, and the hidden means by which user data is monetized and transformed into value on online platforms for music. All seminars and writing assignments will be held in English. |
| Bibliography | Examples of readings (full syllabus will be provided shortly before the course starts): - Eriksson, Maria et.al. 2019. Spotify Teardown: Inside the Black Box of Streaming Music. Cambridge & London: MIT Press. - Sterne, Jonathan. 2012. MP3: The Meaning of a Format. Durham & London: Duke University Press. - Morris, Jeremy W. 2015. Selling Digital Music, Formatting Culture. Oakland: University of California Press. - Seaver, Nick. 2019. Captivating Algorithms: Recommender Systems as Traps. Journal of Material Culture, Vol. 24(4). |
| Comments | The course language is English. Students will be asked to submit a short essay to qualify for the class if the number of course applicants exceeds 25 people. |
| Admission requirements | Abgeschlossenes Basisstudium GTM. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
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No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Modul: Aufbaustudium Grundlagentheorien der Medienwissenschaft (Bachelor's degree subject: Media Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Medienwissenschaft |