By Oli Wilson, a young man from the land of the long white clouds has been in PNG for a couple of months doing his PHD on the recording industry in Port Moresby. So if you’re into music and the business side of it come along to the UPNG Main Lecture Theatre on Thursday, 27th March at 3pm to hear his seminar.
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“Research Perspectives on Commercial Music Production in Port Moresby”
By Oli Wilson (PhD Candidate, Otago University, New Zealand)
Abstract:
Popular music, brought about by urbanization and the development of third world cities, has previously been considered unworthy of scholarly attention, as it appeared not to connote important rituals or significant cultural performance. However, recent trends in ethnomusicology acknowledge that popular music has important cultural functions among the majority of the world’s cultures. Of particular interest has been its capacity to reflect and stimulate cultural change. Ethnomusicological studies of popular music from different cultures have challenged disciplinary concepts of authenticity and tradition, and have questioned how these concepts relate to the construction and representation of identity. This paper outlines how investigation into the commercial music industry in Port Moresby provides a relevant case study of the impact music industry technology has on musical culture, and how music industry and technological developments influences the construction and representation of cultural identity.
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