Call for contributions

The CNMlab is looking for contributors from all backgrounds, of all nationalities, be they in research (doctoral students and post-doctoral researchers included) or specialists and experts from the professional sphere. The CNMlab is open to all disciplines (history, philosophy, economics, sociology, musicology, management, information sciences, geography, anthropology, statistics, political science, data science), with different methodologies and approaches – be they qualitative or quantitative.

We are pleased to announce two different calls for contributions: one for the upcoming book on the theme of “Music Discovery and Recommandation” (submission deadline: October 22, 2025), and another, open and permanent. Please see the details below and feel free to contact us.

It should be noted that the CNMlab team is a resource center for contributors, making its expertise available and facilitating contact with key actors in the field, as well as access to data and documentation.

Permanent call

Proposals for CNMlab publications may be sent to us at any time. Please send a note of intent in the following format: biography of the author(s), the proposed subject and the methodology applied, and a bibliography (or webography) listing the sources used. Proposals should not exceed 3,500 characters (including spaces).

The CNMlab has two types of priority topics: those that deal with phenomena having a current impact on the practices of the music industry professionals, and those that will have a future impact on the music industry.

Each contribution will contain a maximum of 35,000-50,000 characters (including spaces). The work and the writing of the article can be carried out by a single contributor or by several contributors.

Work is remunerated at €1,000 incl. VAT per contribution (not per contributor).

Call for contributions for a thematic volume : “Music Discovery and Recommendation”

The CNMlab, the Centre national de la musique’s (CNM) ideas lab, is launching a call for contributions for its next thematic volume, to be published in 2026. This edition will focus on the transformations that are reshaping the way music is discovered and recommended.
At a time where music circulates through digital spaces as much as physical ones, understanding who guides our listening experience, and how, becomes a crucial scientific, cultural, economic and political challenge.
This call is structured around the following core questions:
What roles do various mechanisms, both human and non-human, play in shaping musical discovery and recommendation today? How do they impact the cultural, economic, and symbolic balances within the sector? How can diversity, equality, and meaningful listening experiences be preserved?

To guide contributions, five key (non-exhaustive) thematic areas of inquiry have been identified:

Human vs. Algorithmic recommendation: what changes arise in terms of values, diversity, and subjectivity?
Discoverability and Artist Adaptability: how can artists increase their visibility in a saturated environment? What strategies in live performances and recorded music enhance artists’ visibility?
Traditional and Emerging Recommendation Practices: how is human curation evolving from traditional forms (media, concerts, word of mouth) to new intermediaries such as influencer marketing and editorial playlist curation?
Audience Perceptions: how do listeners currently engage with algorithmic and human recommendations? What patterns of trust, preference, and appropriation emerge from these different types of recommendation?
Cultural Impact: how do these new mechanisms impact musical diversity (both in terms of what is produced and what is consumed)? What consequences do they carry for emerging scenes and underrepresented repertoires? How are these transformations perceived?

Objectives of this Volume

This publication seeks to bring together interdisciplinary contributions, drawing on both empirical and foresight-based approaches to shed light on current issues and anticipate future developments. The goal is to go beyond sector-specific views by confronting professional realities with broader social, technological, and economic dynamics, and by combining disciplines, fieldwork, and perspectives.
We welcome contributions that aim to:

Enrich the public and professional debate
Identify emerging trends
Offer new insights into shifting balance of power and influence in the music sector.

More than a state-of-the-art overview, this volume invites contributors to approach music discovery and recommendation as keys to understanding the future of cultural industries.
Any topic that engages with these overarching questions is welcome. The thematic axes detailed below are provided as a guide to shape contributions.

1. Music Discovery: Forms, Spaces, and Experiences

Today, music discovery unfolds within a rich and diversified ecosystem, combining physical spaces, digital environments, and hybrid formats.
Access to musical works is being reshaped by a combination of technological innovation, stakeholder strategies, and evolving social practices. Do these transformations redefine the way audiences encounter music? How do these changes affect the diversity of music that becomes visible and alter the existing value chains?
Contributions may address (but are not limited to) the following topics:

Forms and spaces of discovery: how do concerts, festivals, cultural venues, streaming platforms, social media, and immersive environments complement or compete with one another?
Artist and Industry Strategies: what marketing, storytelling, and community-building strategies enhance music discovery in an environment that is saturated with musical works? How do these strategies influence the creative process itself?
Economic Dimensions: how do music distribution models and market logics shape access to music and the allocation of audience attention? What are the effects on the economic viability of artists and the organizations, platforms, and institutions that distribute and promote their work?
Diversity, Access, and Visibility: To what extent do material, geographic, or technological conditions affect the ability of audiences to discover diverse musical content? What inequalities persist for certain genres, scenes, or territories? How can these imbalances be measured, understood, and addressed?

2. Music Recommendation: New Curators, New Norms?

The evolution of recommendation mechanics raises fundamental questions about the very nature of musical recommendation and the actors involved. This section aims to describe and analyse the profiles, practices, and logics of both human and algorithmic recommenders, as well as how they interact with each other.
Ongoing changes are profoundly affecting professions related to music criticism, programming, and curation, altering working conditions, professional statuses, and the way musicians are recognized. Contributions are invited to explore the effects of these changes on musical diversity and career structure.
Topics to explore include:

Professional profiles and practices: how are professions in music criticism, programming, curation, and musical influence evolving? What new skills are required, and how are legitimacy hierarchies redefined?
Human/algorithm interactions: How do automated recommendations influence human prescription? To what extent can editorial choices coexist or clash with algorithmic logic?
Economic logics and strategic positioning: how do funding sources, commercial agreements with labels, platforms or brands, and profitability imperatives guide programming and recommendation choices? How might these economic constraints favour some genres, artists, or formats over others?
Viral recommendation and social networks: what amplification or visibility mechanisms emerge through digital virality? What are the effects on artist notoriety and the balance between dominant and underrepresented repertoires?

3. Public Policies and Regulation

The evolution of music discovery and recommendation systems cannot be analysed without considering the role of public policies and regulation. Choices made within these frameworks directly influence catalogue diversity, work visibility, and audience access, while structuring the economic landscape of the music sector.
Key questions include:

Regulatory frameworks: how do existing regulations take shape and how efficient are they on the national or the regional level?
Scales and comparisons: how do national regulations, European policies and international mechanisms complement or contradict one another? What impact do they have on competitiveness and the circulation of works?
Diversity and equitable access: how do public policies support or fail to support underrepresented repertoires, local scenes, and emerging artists? What methodologies can be used to measure these effects?
Audience empowerment: how can educational policies and support systems foster critical listening and reduce the influence of dominant recommendation mechanisms?

CNMlab Objectives

Precisely clarifying the mechanisms and transformations of the music sector for a broad audience, including industry professionals, public institutions, media, and the general public.
Contributions are expected to:

Articulate, in accessible terms, technical aspects, theoretical frameworks, or specialized terminology, while grounding them in concrete examples drawn from musical practices;
Offer informed, analytical perspectives that take critical distance from field realities, based on clear and well-argued methodology;
Help the CNM better understand the issues at stake, by mapping the current situation (key players, tools, applications etc.), as well as reporting on the existing or potential consequences for the music sector;
Envision the future and explore new fields. While not necessarily making it the central focus, contributions should include an exploratory dimension that offers insights into the future. This could take the form of genuine predictions, open-ended conclusions, a sketch of current trends, or suggestions for moving the field forward (through public policy recommendations for example). Historical perspectives are also welcome, provided they shed light on present and future dynamics.

Submission Guidelines

This call is open to contributors from all backgrounds, both in France and abroad, with two main profiles: individuals involved in academic research (including PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers), as well as professionals with specialist knowledge or expertise on the subject. The CNMlab welcomes all disciplinary perspectives and encourages a variety of methodologies and approaches, both qualitative and quantitative.
Submitted notes of intent will be reviewed by a selection panel composed of members of the Scientific committee and the CNMlab team. The panel will assess the relevance and complementarity of the proposed notes, while paying close attention to the rigor of the work presented.
Around ten contributions will be selected for publication.

The CNMlab team also serves as a resource hub for contributors, offering access to its expertise and facilitating connections with stakeholders across the music sector, as well as to data, fieldwork opportunities, and documentation.

Submission Process and Timeline

By October 22, 2025: contributors are invited to submit a note of intent to the following address: cnmlab@cnm.fr.
The proposal must be at least 35000 characters and should not exceed 50000 characters (including spaces and footnotes), and must include the following elements:

A brief biography of the author(s) (500 characters);
The chosen scientific or professional angle;
A brief explanation of the contribution’s added value in addressing contemporary and future challenges;
The fieldwork and methodologies employed;
A concise bibliography.

Early November 2025: the CNMlab will share the list of selected submissions.
Spring 2026: research and writing should be completed, and full drafts submitted for the first round of review.
Summer 2026: editorial and validation phase.
Second half of 2026: publication of the Volume.

Compensation

Contributions are compensated €1,500 (including tax) per contribution (not per contributor).
For further information, please contact us at cnmlab@cnm.fr.

Call for the book “Music and Territories”

Theme of the book

A Sacem (society of authors, composers and publishers in music) study published in 2021 showed that, for more than 80% of those questioned, music-related activities are essential both for the well-being of residents, for the dynamism of city centers and for the attractiveness of a territory. Nevertheless, the concept of territory does not refer to a predefined geographical perimeter. Its boundaries may correspond either to a political border, or to less fixed practices and collective imaginaries. For the next CNMlab book, the focus is on territory as space for social experimentation, as defined by stakeholders on the ground who give it meaning.

What role does music play in local cultural projects? How does the presence or absence of musical operators, initiatives or infrastructure change the dynamics and attractiveness of a region? How do public policies and local authorities support the musical ecosystem and its various chains of value? How can we think about the future of musical territories?

Any topic related to this issue is welcome, but the following guidelines may help to guide contributions.

Observe, interpret and measure territorial cohesion

Territorial cohesion, as defined by the 2007 Treaty of Lisbon, implies a political aim to reduce wealth disparities between territories on a European scale. The goal of this collection of contributions is to observe, interpret and measure this cohesion in terms of the music industry. The CNMlab is particularly interested in the integration of musical activities within broader local, social and economic dynamics, as well as the impact of cultural policies on the practices of local actors and the obstacles they encounter.

For this first part, we propose four main angles: 

An approach based on music industry stakeholders: what types of actor are active at local level, and what networks are they part of? How do they circulate in different territories? In addition, an overview of the music industry-focused training courses available (and their content) would contribute to reflections on how to accompany tomorrow’s music professionals.

The second angle is territorial planning, in terms of presence and distribution of venues, public policies, funding, investment, cooperation and pooling of resources (particularly in rural areas and key urban areas). How can we measure the dynamics of cooperation (between players in the industry, local authorities, players from other socio-economic sectors, etc.) aimed at ensuring the sustainability of projects and structures, as well as the integration of musical activities into the wider economic and social fabric?

Thirdly, social networks and digital technologies have been transforming ways of creating, practicing, listening to and distributing music. This context has given rise to the notion of discoverability. How do the stakeholders involved (venues and festivals, community radio stations) work to promote local artists? What influence do they exert on local musical creation and aesthetics? What are the opportunities and difficulties for local artists in terms of production and distribution in their territories?

Finally, the fourth angle is about influence and attractiveness. Here, for example, we look at the notions of musical territories, music tourism and territorial marketing. How does music reinvent local places and what impact does it have on local development?

Understand and analyze initiatives and new developments in order to imagine what the future will look like

How are local players attempting to overcome a lack of cohesion in specific territorial dynamics? What obstacles do they face in their day-to-day practices? What phenomena or changes are likely to have an impact on local professionals and how?

We propose a few guidelines here for studying the relationship between music and territories:

Diversity appears to be a major issue for actors in the music industry: how can they guarantee and develop the diversity of performers and styles in the context of specific regional dynamics? On the other side, inclusion and accessibility for audiences and local residents are major issues too. What is the impact of music education and music mediation programmes (or projects) on a wide range of audiences (schools, hospitals, prisons, social centers, etc.)? What expectations do groups of local residents have of local cultural institutions? How can cultural rights be a vehicle for greater participation in local musical dynamics?

Cultural recognition can be analyzed from the perspective of artists and their impact: how do certain musical scenes, sometimes from marginalized territories, influence musical creation on a national scale, or even contribute to the international influence of French music? What place is given to the preservation of musical heritage in local projects and policies?

Ecological and digital transitions are pushing stakeholders to adapt to the current context by innovating. In terms of ecology, the focus here is on initiatives to renovate and redevelop infrastructure, or to rethink the mobility of artists and audiences. In terms of digital transition, the diversity of local uses of information and communication technologies can contribute to a growth in social inequalities: this question focuses on the innovative actions of players in the music industry who are trying to reduce the digital divide.

The rules of the call for contributions 

Proposals will be selected by the CNMlab Scientific Council and the CNMlab team. The latter will ensure that the proposed articles are relevant and complementary. They will also pay particular attention to the rigor of the work undertaken: the statement of intent should describe the methodology employed, the fields investigated, and the material collected (or to be collected).

For contributions derived from research, it can be a way to valorize and reframe existing work in a novel way. However, CNMlab will be particularly attentive to new research projects and original contributions: the proposed text must not have been published before. In the context of new research work, the institution does not reserve any exclusive rights to the materials and results produced: they can subsequently be published and developed further in scientific publications. 

Twelve propositions will be retained for publication. 

At the end of the project, a review will be organized with a committee composed of the CNMlab teams, the president of the institution and members of the Scientific Council (see Agenda). 

Format 

Each contribution will contain a maximum of 35,000–50,000 characters (including spaces). The work and the writing of the article can be carried out by a single contributor or by several contributors. 

Agenda

Before September 15, 2024, contributors are invited to send a note of intent to the following address: cnmlab@cnm.fr. Not exceeding 3,500 characters (including spaces), it should briefly present the authors, the proposed subject, the method employed and a short indicative bibliography (or webography).

In  October 2024, the CNMlab will announce its selection of proposals.

By Spring 2025, the writing work should have been completed and submitted for a first phase of substantive proofreading.

In the second half of 2025, the selected contributions will be published in French and in English on the CNMlab website, and the collection will be printed in French in hard copy.

Compensation

Work is remunerated at €1,500 incl. VAT per contribution (not per contributor).

The CNMlab team acts as a resource center for contributors, making its expertise available and facilitating contact with industry players, access to data, fieldwork and documentation.