Week 13 – on Simon’s “Jamming in the Stacks,” Hakanen’s “Counting Down to Number One,” and Oliver’s “Music, History, Democracy”
One particular nugget I took away from Oliver’s rather scathing critique of the 1989 IASPM conference was his note that “meanings associated with music (by academics, at any rate) are not intrinsic to it, but are symbolically interpreted according to ideological positions,” (p. 134). While this jab may even be just an offhand comment, it is worth translating it as a complimentary position to Simon’s (2008) “Jamming in the Stacks,” especially as regards his assertion of the significance of the library as both space for performance (and all that may be bound to them, such as the education Simon mentioned, (p. 42)), and institution of fair and deep cultural memory through its collections. If, as Simon suggested, music can be understood as an extension of freedom of expression, thus understood as beneath the umbrella of basic human rights, the library (as an institution with a commitment to protection of such rights) can exist as a place free of the symbolic interpretation of the ‘meaning’ of music. Instead, the library might be regarded as a space protective of performance and instruction as well as a locus of cultural record in the form of its musical collections, (whether in digital or tangible form). Or, as Simon (2008) wrote, “Libraries can and should promote these freedoms by developing stylistically broad, well stocked music collections utilizing popular formats and technologies, as well as promoting music performances and events that highlight the cultural life of local or regional communities, ethnicities, or historical eras. In this way, libraries can promote the cultural life of local communities and identities that make up our global village” (p. 39). This idea is particularly strengthened by framing music within Habermas’ idea of communicative action, as expressed within the institution of the library – which, as mentioned previously, may have the potential to stand apart from any type of partisan interpretation and rather exist simply as an open, welcome space founded on freedom of access and freedom of expression.
On an almost contradictory note, I find Hakanen’s reading of any sorts of charts as significant to be highly questionable, most likely because of models for access and distribution that have substantially changed over the past decade in ways that author likely could not have imagined. While I’m familiar with Saussure, Barthes, Eco, Althusser, and Baudrillard, I don’t see exceptional relevance of Hakanen’s interpretation of charts-as-sign to the current existence (and, I might argue, diminished significance) of any chart. Hananen, to update his writing, might gain traction through a connection between the chart and more contemporary digital measures of popularity, (rankings and ‘liking’ things on social networking sites, tweeting/retweeting, and generally being involved in a continuing chain of approval that includes assuming some sense of ownership as well – such as posting a story to one’s Facebook ‘Wall’).
References
Hakanen, E.A. (1998). Counting down to Number One: The evolution of the meaning of popular music charts. Popular Music, 17(1), 95-111. Retrieved from http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0261-1430%28199801%2917%3A1%3C95%3ACDTNOT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-W
Oliver, P. (1990). Music, history, democracy. Popular Music, 9(1), 133-134. Retrieved from http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0261-1430%28199001%299%3A1%3C133%3AMHD%3E2.0.CO%3B2-7
Simon, S.J. (2008). Jamming in the stacks: Music as a progressive librarian ideal. Progressive Librarian, 31, 37-45. Retrieved from http://libr.org/pl/
Week 13 – on Amnesty International’s Music for Human Rights site
Both the Music for Human Rights subsite and the Music for Human Rights blog, http://blog.amnestyusa.org/tag/music-for-human-rights/, are interesting in their focus on music as a method to deliver or promote information about human rights; perhaps they could learn, though, from the connection developed in “Jamming in the Stacks,” though, in thinking of musical expression as an actual human right! It is no surprise that popular musicians who have promoted peace and equality, (Bono and U2, as well as John Lennon) are substantially featured on the blog and the site – but again, it’s a shame that Amnesty International seems to view music as a tool for promoting all human rights, rather than recognizing that musical expression might be considered a human right, (although I expect that if music is censored, Amnesty International might take up the cause to fight this censorship/restriction of expression).