- Friday, March 27, 2015
- 2:00 PM–3:15 PM
- CFAC 252
Our Academic Track features the presentation of two or three academic papers during each session.
Paper 1: The Politics of Consumption: Reimagining a Politics of Participation
Zachary Settle
This paper aims to investigate the political aspect of participation in the music industry through consumption. Certain values and ideologies undergird our involvement with music. By examining a few test cases including the demand of fetishization in hip-hop and Slayer’s commercial success), we can begin to critique not the content of the music, but the popular demand of that content, which grounds its commercial success. After analyzing and understanding these values, we can begin to name the political aspects of our consumption. As active participants, our primary question must be, “How then should redeemed people participate in the consumption of music?”
Paper 2: Music Companies are Ripping Me Off!: Exploring the Competing Motivations for Production Between Musicians and Music Companies.
Micah van Dijk
Popular musicians express feelings that the music business is organized in a way that allows music companies to exploit their work for the profit. This paper will argue that the complex nature of a musician’s work (music-maker, music business-person, music commodity), the non-economic motivations of a musician, and the dependant relationship with managers, promoters, and label executives give music companies an organizational and economic advantage over working musicians.
Paper 3: A New Perspective on the Place of Everyday Listening Within Discipleship
David Fuentes
Recent research has demonstrated ways that music affects not only our brains and bodies, but also our sense of self. When Christians have tried to talk about such connections, our tendency has been to focus entirely on lyrics. This presentation will introduce ways that the basic elements of music embody human feelings, experiences, desires, and beliefs, as they also give back their energy. From this perspective, we recognize music as a shaping force that forms one’s deepest convictions about ourselves, others, and our God.
