The Work of Music in the Streaming Age: How Algorithms and Artificial Intelligence Influence the Art, Industry, and Aura of Music
Open Access
Author:
Lagroue, Jared
Graduate Program:
Mass Communications
Degree:
Doctor of Philosophy
Document Type:
Dissertation
Date of Defense:
March 24, 2025
Committee Members:
Kevin Hagopian, Major Field Member Matthew Jackson, Major Field Member Anthony Olorunnisola, Program Head/Chair John Christman, Outside Unit & Field Member Matthew Jordan, Chair, Minor Member & Dissertation Advisor
Keywords:
Music Streaming Spotify Political Economy A&R Algorithms Artificial Intelligence AI Aura
Abstract:
The application of algorithms and artificial intelligence within the music industry provides an entry point for conceptualizing the treatment of music as data to be controlled and exploited. This ontology of music-as-data has hastened the stabilization of music toward the singularity of perfect-fit content that fits the economic motivations of the streaming model; it has amplified the alienation of artists and listeners from their connection to music and each other; it has promoted a metric-based gatekeeping model which values music primarily for its performance in larger strategic contexts; and it has led to an ecology of surveillance where affect is quantified, listening is engineered to become an addictive behavior, and artists and listeners are themselves reduced to data. Through a political-economic lens, this dissertation illuminates how the ontological construction of music-as-data affects the nature of music, the exploitation of artists and audiences, and the power of tech companies and major labels. It makes visible the workings of power in music streaming and reveals how streaming’s affordances nudge artists and listeners alike to relinquish their autonomy, fostering a dependence on streaming platforms through their algorithms.
