Constructing Authorship in Popular Music

Musical works are typically personified by theirpublic performers; however, the image presented inpublic, which is often built around the artist's starpersona, usually provides a rather limited picture ofmusical authorship. Instead, authorial responsibilityand artistic control are often divided among membersof a larger creative collective. To these collectivepractices should be added the roles of the media andthe marketing machinery. This book, therefore, shedslight on the changing authorial roles and areas ofresponsibility of the various agents operating withinpopular music culture. The author images of rockauteurs, pop stars and electronic dance music artistsare examined alongside such varied topics ascollective authorship, evaluative hierarchies, visualpromotion and generic conventions. The question ofauthorship is connected with a number of themesranging from issues of auteurism and stardom to theuse of masked imagery and the blending of authorialvoices. This book should be useful toprofessionals working in the fields of popularmusic/culture and media - or anyone else interestedin the fascinating world of popular music and stardom.