Justin Williams
University of Bristol, Music, Faculty Member
- Music, Performing Arts, Musicology, Popular Music, Jazz Studies, Hip-Hop/Rap, and 14 moreMusic Video, American music, African-American Music, Youth subcultures (Sociology), Popular Music Studies, Popular Culture, Electronic Dance Music, Punk Culture, Hip-Hop Studies, Youth Culture, Youth Subcultures, Punk Studies, Electronic Dance Music Culture (EDMC), and Popular musicologyedit
- Justin Williams gained degrees from Stanford University, King's College, London, and the University of Nottingham. He... moreJustin Williams gained degrees from Stanford University, King's College, London, and the University of Nottingham. He has taught previously at Leeds College of Music and was a postdoctoral fellow at Lancaster University at the Centre for Mobilities Research.
He has presented research to a number of international conferences, and has been invited to speak at a number of symposia and colloquia, including the University of Leipzig, University of British Columbia, University of Minnesota, Oxford Brookes University, Leeds College of Music and the University of Wuppertal.
His teaching and research interests include hip-hop culture, popular music, musical borrowing, film music, jazz, music and geography, mobility and sound studies, and the analysis of record production. He is currently writing a book on musical borrowing in hip-hop for University of Michigan Press.
He is keen to supervise research in the areas of:
Popular music
Hip-hop culture
Jazz
Music and mobility
Analysis of record production
Musical borrowing and digital samplingedit
‘I think men’s minds are going to change in subtle ways because of automobiles.’ These are the words of fictional inventor Eugene Morgan in the 1918 Booth Tarkington novel The Magnificent Ambersons, and the influence of the automobile on... more
‘I think men’s minds are going to change in subtle ways because of automobiles.’ These are the words of fictional inventor Eugene Morgan in the 1918 Booth Tarkington novel The Magnificent Ambersons, and the influence of the automobile on music production and consumption in the twentieth century is but one of the many ways that this statement rings true. From the ‘Motor-ola’ car record player in the 1930s, to rappers’ love confessions for the car sound system (e.g. ‘Bumps in the Trunk’, ‘My System’), the automobile as the ‘quintessential manufactured object’ of the twentieth century (Urry 2005) has played a significant role in imagery, cross-marketing and music production within the music industry.
While a number of scholars have noted links with cultural developments within Fordist and post-Fordist frameworks, these studies often neglect aspects of upgrading or updating of cultural products central to industry strategy and consumption. My paper focuses on a different paradigm, that of ‘Sloanism’ and its influence on the popular music industry. This term refers to Alfred P. Sloan, President of General Motors from 1923 and Chairman from 1937 to 1956. Sloan is credited with developing the ‘annual model’ and the concept of ‘planned obsolescence’ for his products, as well as creating a price hierarchy of automobile brands (e.g. Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Cadillac) and placing a substantial emphasis on design.
This paper begins to outline the key aspects of what could be deemed as ‘Sloanism’ in cultural production, and I will discuss and analyse its application to case studies of popular music and culture. A Sloanist framework may help to provide a deeper understanding of not only popular music more generally, but also cultural products such as pop cover versions, film remakes, ‘retromania’ (Reynolds, 2011) as well as the emphasis on speed in the updating/upgrading of certain musical products.
While a number of scholars have noted links with cultural developments within Fordist and post-Fordist frameworks, these studies often neglect aspects of upgrading or updating of cultural products central to industry strategy and consumption. My paper focuses on a different paradigm, that of ‘Sloanism’ and its influence on the popular music industry. This term refers to Alfred P. Sloan, President of General Motors from 1923 and Chairman from 1937 to 1956. Sloan is credited with developing the ‘annual model’ and the concept of ‘planned obsolescence’ for his products, as well as creating a price hierarchy of automobile brands (e.g. Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Cadillac) and placing a substantial emphasis on design.
This paper begins to outline the key aspects of what could be deemed as ‘Sloanism’ in cultural production, and I will discuss and analyse its application to case studies of popular music and culture. A Sloanist framework may help to provide a deeper understanding of not only popular music more generally, but also cultural products such as pop cover versions, film remakes, ‘retromania’ (Reynolds, 2011) as well as the emphasis on speed in the updating/upgrading of certain musical products.
This paper will focus on the jazz orchestra composer Maria Schneider’s success with the internet-based label ArtistShare, providing a model of digital patronage that repositions the concepts of value, labor, and fan-artist interactivity... more
This paper will focus on the jazz orchestra composer Maria Schneider’s success with the internet-based label ArtistShare, providing a model of digital patronage that repositions the concepts of value, labor, and fan-artist interactivity in composition and performance. ArtistShare was founded in 2000 by musician Brian Camelio as an alternative to major labels. In addition to receiving revenue from albums sold exclusively online, an artist can request funding from fans to start a particular recording project. In return, the fan/patron receives information on the recording process through special access to sessions, scores or video updates, and can have their name included on the musical score and CD. Schneider, with the help of her digital platform, became the first artist to win a Grammy without the album available in physical retail stores. Through the ArtistShare model, the artist may be paid up to 80% of revenue as opposed to 10% after recuperating recording and other costs with majors.
With this business model, there exist ideological implications to such a structure of digital patronage, involving what Jenkins calls “participatory cultures.” ArtistShare paradoxically reinforces the notions of authorship and of the “great composer” while revealing the imperfections in the compositional process to a select few who pay for it. In other words, compositional process itself becomes of high exchange value, in addition to, and perhaps of more value than, the product for the most dedicated of fans. This paper begins to outline such implications for the jazz community, while raising important questions surrounding new conditions of the digital music industry, artist/fan interactivity and the internet in facilitating spaces for musical creativity and communication. The paper also places such practices in a wider context of music composition, revenue generation, and patronage throughout history.
With this business model, there exist ideological implications to such a structure of digital patronage, involving what Jenkins calls “participatory cultures.” ArtistShare paradoxically reinforces the notions of authorship and of the “great composer” while revealing the imperfections in the compositional process to a select few who pay for it. In other words, compositional process itself becomes of high exchange value, in addition to, and perhaps of more value than, the product for the most dedicated of fans. This paper begins to outline such implications for the jazz community, while raising important questions surrounding new conditions of the digital music industry, artist/fan interactivity and the internet in facilitating spaces for musical creativity and communication. The paper also places such practices in a wider context of music composition, revenue generation, and patronage throughout history.
Research Interests: Business, Cultural Studies, Music, Music History, Musicology, and 14 moreMusic Technology, Popular Music Studies, Popular Music, Virtual Environments, Popular Culture, Virtual Communities, Culture, Social Media, Cultural Musicology, Virtual Worlds, Cloud Computing, The Internet, Popular musicology, and Cloud
The 20th Century has been called the era of displacement, exile, and mass migration. Bringing their music with them, migrants arrived in Britain throughout the century from all over the world. To this day, however, there has been no... more
The 20th Century has been called the era of displacement, exile, and mass migration. Bringing their music with them, migrants arrived in Britain throughout the century from all over the world. To this day, however, there has been no holistic discussion of their impact on British musical life. While excellent scholarly investigations of migrations and mobility as crucial factors for music in Britain have been undertaken, the field is fragmented, with insufficient collaboration across discussions of specific musical genres and diasporic communities. More broadly, musicology has long neglected migrations and migrants in its historicisation of a national cultural history.
This forum places the migrant within discourses on national identity. The authors embrace a multi-faceted approach to the history of Britain’s diverse musical immigrants across a wide range of musical styles and genres that span the entirety of the 20th century, reaching into the late 19th and the early 21st centuries. We reveal the impact of immigrant composers and second-generation migrants and diasporic communities with global backgrounds on popular music, musical comedy, jazz, concert music, folk music, and film music. The forum highlights the connections across genres, the time period, and diverse migrant backgrounds, thus revealing a multi-faceted narrative in which debates concerning ‘the national’ form a current in British musical life and open up questions regarding constructions of a national music history and historiography. The forum thus highlights the contributions of immigrants to British musical life; the extent to which immigrants are, or are not, narrated as part of British music history and the extent to which their musics have been marginalised or otherwise; and what opportunities this poses for an understanding of British music. In combination, the contributions challenge the notion that the migrant and the nation are incompatible, highlighting instead a narrative of (musical) diversity.
Discussing the impact of migration as a sonically enriching experience seems urgent given how current debates frame immigration as a crisis at the heart of national socio-cultural discourses more broadly. Putting music centre stage, this colloquy widens the debate on migration as it encourages a discourse that is not restricted solely to economic, legal, and narrow political contexts. The focus on music allows for an exploration of the impact of highly skilled creative migrants on British cultural history. In turn, it sets it against questions of national belonging and the sonic-cultural narratisation of the nation.
The forum includes contributions by Florian Scheding, Justin Williams (University of Bristol), Catherine Tackley (University of Liverpool), Derek B. Scott (University of Leeds), Erik Levi (Royal Holloway University of London), and Tom Western (University of Edinburgh).
This forum places the migrant within discourses on national identity. The authors embrace a multi-faceted approach to the history of Britain’s diverse musical immigrants across a wide range of musical styles and genres that span the entirety of the 20th century, reaching into the late 19th and the early 21st centuries. We reveal the impact of immigrant composers and second-generation migrants and diasporic communities with global backgrounds on popular music, musical comedy, jazz, concert music, folk music, and film music. The forum highlights the connections across genres, the time period, and diverse migrant backgrounds, thus revealing a multi-faceted narrative in which debates concerning ‘the national’ form a current in British musical life and open up questions regarding constructions of a national music history and historiography. The forum thus highlights the contributions of immigrants to British musical life; the extent to which immigrants are, or are not, narrated as part of British music history and the extent to which their musics have been marginalised or otherwise; and what opportunities this poses for an understanding of British music. In combination, the contributions challenge the notion that the migrant and the nation are incompatible, highlighting instead a narrative of (musical) diversity.
Discussing the impact of migration as a sonically enriching experience seems urgent given how current debates frame immigration as a crisis at the heart of national socio-cultural discourses more broadly. Putting music centre stage, this colloquy widens the debate on migration as it encourages a discourse that is not restricted solely to economic, legal, and narrow political contexts. The focus on music allows for an exploration of the impact of highly skilled creative migrants on British cultural history. In turn, it sets it against questions of national belonging and the sonic-cultural narratisation of the nation.
The forum includes contributions by Florian Scheding, Justin Williams (University of Bristol), Catherine Tackley (University of Liverpool), Derek B. Scott (University of Leeds), Erik Levi (Royal Holloway University of London), and Tom Western (University of Edinburgh).
Emceeing. DJing. Breaking. Graffiti. Hip-hop is commonly understood to consist of these four elements. The idea of four elements is one of hip-hop culture’s core narrative and most pervasive founding myth since its beginnings in the... more
Emceeing. DJing. Breaking. Graffiti. Hip-hop is commonly understood
to consist of these four elements. The idea of four elements is one of
hip-hop culture’s core narrative and most pervasive founding myth
since its beginnings in the Bronx in the 1970s. Yet, the idea of four
core elements has been highly contested since the beginning of the
culture as there is no unified definition of how many elements exist,
who defined them, and how they came together.
The second meeting of the European HipHop Studies Network
therefore explores one of hip-hop’s most central ideas, the ideas of
elements: Who defines them? What do they tell us about cultural,
social, and economic communities and boundaries across Europe?
How do these limits vary according to various contexts and practices
across Europe? What are their consequences for cultural production
and consumption? The objective of the meeting is to trace,
interrogate, and expand the notion of elements as central organizing
principles in hip-hop culture and their variations across Europe.
We invite papers, panels, performances, and contributions
from a wide variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and angles.
Scholarly disciplines include but are not limited to art history,
cultural studies, black studies, ethnography, geography, graffiti
studies, literary studies, musicology, pedagogy, performance studies,
philosophy, political science, sociology, and visual culture studies.
Artistic contributions include performances, themed panels of any
format, lecture-recitals, and philosophies which combine research
and praxis (or practice-as-research).
Artistic and scholarly proposals engaging with European hiphop’s
elements (those based both in Europe and outside of it)
should include a title, 250 word abstract of their contribution
and short biographical sketch. This should be submitted to
hiphopnetworkeurope@gmail.com no later than 31 January 2019.
We especially welcome papers that engage with less-academically visible work, and from artists and practitioners from a wider
variety of backgrounds. We hope to see you in Bristol!
to consist of these four elements. The idea of four elements is one of
hip-hop culture’s core narrative and most pervasive founding myth
since its beginnings in the Bronx in the 1970s. Yet, the idea of four
core elements has been highly contested since the beginning of the
culture as there is no unified definition of how many elements exist,
who defined them, and how they came together.
The second meeting of the European HipHop Studies Network
therefore explores one of hip-hop’s most central ideas, the ideas of
elements: Who defines them? What do they tell us about cultural,
social, and economic communities and boundaries across Europe?
How do these limits vary according to various contexts and practices
across Europe? What are their consequences for cultural production
and consumption? The objective of the meeting is to trace,
interrogate, and expand the notion of elements as central organizing
principles in hip-hop culture and their variations across Europe.
We invite papers, panels, performances, and contributions
from a wide variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and angles.
Scholarly disciplines include but are not limited to art history,
cultural studies, black studies, ethnography, geography, graffiti
studies, literary studies, musicology, pedagogy, performance studies,
philosophy, political science, sociology, and visual culture studies.
Artistic contributions include performances, themed panels of any
format, lecture-recitals, and philosophies which combine research
and praxis (or practice-as-research).
Artistic and scholarly proposals engaging with European hiphop’s
elements (those based both in Europe and outside of it)
should include a title, 250 word abstract of their contribution
and short biographical sketch. This should be submitted to
hiphopnetworkeurope@gmail.com no later than 31 January 2019.
We especially welcome papers that engage with less-academically visible work, and from artists and practitioners from a wider
variety of backgrounds. We hope to see you in Bristol!
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
In 2013, trucks and vans were driving across London, bearing the message ‘In the UK illegally? Go home or face arrest.’ These mobile billboards declared the number of arrests that had taken place ‘in your area’ in the previous week and... more
In 2013, trucks and vans were driving across London, bearing the message ‘In the UK illegally? Go home or face arrest.’ These mobile billboards declared the number of arrests that had taken place ‘in your area’ in the previous week and provided a number to which people could text the message ‘HOME’ to initiate voluntary repatriation. In 2016, Theresa May, who had organised this scheme as home secretary, became prime minister, following the upheaval caused by the country's plebiscite to leave the European Union. One of the main strands of argument of the successful ‘Brexit’ campaign centred on the ‘deep public anxiety . . . about uncontrolled immigration’ and promised to reduce numbers of immigrants to the country. This desire to control the nation's borders continued to dominate the official soundscape of Britain's government. At the 2016 annual Tory conference, May endeavoured to draw clear lines on issues of belonging, territory, citizenship, and the fuzzy notion of Br...