@Newmusic #Soundart: Contemporary Music in the Age of Social Media

Abstract

Social media have been touted as many things: a force for democracy, an abettor of extremism, a place where elections and emotions can be manipulated, a place to find a job, a way to transform one ’ s life into a marketable product, a place to ease the sting of loneliness or to descend further into the abyss. Music is omnipresent on these platforms: it is made, shared, critiqued, manipulated for other ends. Contemporary composers and other actors in the contemporary music milieu are not immune to the effects of social media, and some actively use it to create an image for themselves, promote their work, or as a source of inspiration. Our aim with this issue is to look at the myriad ways social media have been taken up by actors in the contemporary music world.