The Process of Music

Consider how the process of creating and distributing music involves systems of both people and technologies. In each case, people and technology may “mediate” the musical process in a way not intended by the musician/composer/performer. For your final assignment, you will argue how technology, a person, or another mediating actor affects the process of music. Identify one course reading that contextualizes your argument, and provide a written and visual argument that either develops or disagrees that reading’s theories. Here are some possible inquires that may help guide your argument: What new instrument technologies and their practices reflect the current cultural moment (per Prior) or reconfigure social relations amongst musicians? How has a contemporary music producer “redefined” a musician’s music and public persona (per Hennion)? How do online communities reconfigure the values we seek in music (per Brown et al. or Perlman)? Choose claim/theory from the assigned readings to support your argument or to refute. You must include at least one piece of visual rhetoric to support your point. It can take the form of a documentary photograph, flowchart, or other infographic. The image should help illustrate at least one claim/point for the reader. You may want to consider how the image proves your point through ethos, pathos, or logos (though you will not discuss this in your paper necessarily, but certainly can). Please embed the image within your text and cite in the bibliography. The final paper should be approximately 5 pages including the image and bibliography. Use standard formatting: 12 point font, double spaced, and unaltered margins. Use standard citation practices (MLA) including quotations, in-text citations, and a bibliography where appropriate.