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1 - Digital Technology and Cultural Practice

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 August 2019

By
Nicholas Cook
Edited by
Nicholas Cook ,
Monique M. Ingalls  and
David Trippett
Nicholas Cook
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Monique M. Ingalls
Affiliation:
Baylor University, Texas
David Trippett
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
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Summary

This chapter discusses some principal themes of the Cambridge Companion to Music in Digital Culture, emphasising the social and cultural dimensions of digital music. A historical introduction ranges from the embedding of digital technology in everyday life to the emergence of virtual realities, from digital-only genres like vaporwave to Second Life and Hatsune Miku, the virtual diva whose holographic performances are seen as emblematic of posthumanism: I sketch out an aesthetics of digital culture that emphasises continuities across its expressions, from digital multimedia and internet memes to playfulness on Reddit. Attention is also given to the real-world dimensions of digital culture, including the transition from downloads to streaming, internet-based participation, and so called Web 2.0 businesses. The digital revolution has brought about a radical restructuring of the music industry, culminating in a bizarre situation whereby music is economically underpinned by the collection of commercially valuable personal data on listeners.

Keywords

digitaltechnologyculturevirtualsocial networkingHatsune MikuparticipationWeb 2.0streamingsurveillance
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Companion to Music in Digital Culture , pp. 5 - 28
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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References

For Further Study

Baym, Nancy. 2015. Personal Connections in the Digital Age, 2nd edn. Cambridge: Polity.Google Scholar
Jenkins, Henry. 2006. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York University Press.Google Scholar
Lessig, Lawrence. 2008. Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy. London: Bloomsbury.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, Kiri. 2012. Playing Along: Digital Games, YouTube, and Virtual Performance. New York: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vernallis, Carol. 2013. Unruly Media: YouTube, Music Video, and the New Digital Cinema. New York: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whiteley, Sheila and Rambarran, Shara, eds. 2016. The Oxford Handbook of Music and Virtuality. New York: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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