Call for contributions

The “Music and Data” collection of contributions 

Goals :

• to render new ideas accessible and promote them to a wide audience ranging from the general public to professionals, including those working in music and entertainment, the media and experts in the sector. The contributions must strike a balance between accessibility and intellectual rigor. The aim is to make technical and theoretical concepts, and scientific vocabulary, accessible by focusing in particular on concrete practices and examples that are specific to music and the industry. But it also aims to take a step back from the immediate realities of the sector in order to provide a broader and longer-term view  ;
• to 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 ;
• projecting into the future and exploring new fields. Without necessarily placing it at the centre of their subject, the contributions must include an exploratory dimension, providing keys to understanding the future. This exploratory dimension can take the form of genuine predictions, an open-ended conclusion, a sketch of current trends, or even avenues of reflection for advancing the subject (in the form of public policy recommendations, for example). Historical approaches fit largely into this framework, as long as they shed light on present and future situations.

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.  

The rules of the call for contributions 

The call is open to contributors from all backgrounds, both French and international, with two main profiles: researchers (including doctoral and post-doctoral students), and specialists and experts from the professional sphere. The CNMlab is open to all disciplines, with different methodologies and approaches, both qualitative and quantitative: history, philosophy, economics, sociology, musicology, management, information sciences, geography, anthropology, statistics, political sciences, data sciences and more. 

The first phase of evaluation of proposals (see calendar), is undertaken by the Scientific Council and the CNMlab team. The latter will ensure the relevance and complementarity of the proposed articles. They will also pay particular attention to the rigor of the work undertaken: for researchers, the note of intent will describe the method used (although the description of the research protocols will not be reproduced in the article), the fields investigated and the material collected (or to be collected); for professionals who have developed an expertise, the seriousness and precision of the subject matter will be examined. 

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 exclusivity on the materials and results produced: they can subsequently be published and developed further in scientific publications. 

Twelve proposed contributions 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 calendar). 

The “Music and Data” project 

Topics 

As the digital revolution advances, digital data collected on a large scale (Big Data) has become a strategic resource, sometimes unavoidably so, and has largely penetrated the music industry. The new uses that result from it are gradually becoming established in professional practices, while often remaining obscure for some in the field as well as for the general public. In other words, if the use of digital data in music brings opportunities, it also raises questions.  

Any topic related to the links between the music ecosystem and digital data is welcome, and the ‘Music and Data’ collection of contributions aims to address a wide variety of data-related issues: 

1. The first line of inquiry will concern the collection and qualification of data. This data can come from consumption or from information provided by the various actors involved in the creation, production, distribution and performance or broadcasting of music, both in the field of entertainment (eg ticketing, interactions with the public) and of recorded music. The data can also be related to the structure of songs, their musical genre, their rhythm and metre, timbre etc Once this data is collected, it is used to supplement the metadata used by platforms, distributors, collective management organisations and so on.  

   Some questions can illustrate the issues to be addressed: how does the collection and qualification of data concerning live or recorded music work? What are its strengths and blind spots? Who are the key players and how do they compete with each other or, conversely, collaborate in the establishment of common practices? What are the legal stakes involved? How is the ever-increasing amount of collected data managed? How does it converge with metadata processing? How can common databases and metrics be established at local, national and European levels? To what extent do public bodies have a role to play in the collection and exploitation of such data? 

2. The second line of inquiry will focus on the use of the data. Once collected and processed, the data can be used in a number of ways: in algorithmic form, to detect similarities between tracks or to improve recommendations to users, for listening to music or for personalising recommendations, including in the performing arts, or in the form of assistance in creating musical works. 

   A few questions and issues may cross this axis: how can musical creators make best use of these technological tools? What is the current state of algorithmic recommendation, what are the influences, the potential for discoverability, the obstacles, the existing or possible regulations? In terms of rights management, what progress has there been and what limits still exist regarding the transparency of distribution of the revenue? What developments and possibilities are there in the uses of digital data, notably in the context of the emergence of Web3? 

3. The third and final axis will consist in examining the risks and the different concerns triggered by the uses of data linked to music. Any contribution focused on the previous lines of inquiry can naturally also include concerns and critiques, but this section will be particularly dedicated to them. 

   Some possible questions and issues are: what are the potential barriers for the actors in the sector, for example concerning the level of investment and the cost of data exploitation? Does digital data risk formatting listening habits and musical creation? What are the dangers and requirements for the management of personal data circulating in the context of music consumption? How can it be protected? How can a fair use of data be guaranteed? How can we ensure transparency? What are the environmental issues underlying the production chain, and what regulation could be envisaged? 

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. 

Calendrier 

• Before September 21, 2022, contributors are asked 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 topic, the methodology used, and a short indicative bibliography (or webography). 

• At the end of April 2023, the selected contributions will be published on the CNMlab website and the collection will be printed. 

Fee 

The fee for the work is €1,500 per contribution (not per contributor).