Uploaded June 2020 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
This video features a number of researchers talking about music and sound in ancient times, including bone musical pipes and bullroarers. The film was made by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland for the European Music Archaeology Project. It is in English with German subtitles.
This video features a number of researchers talking about music and sound in ancient times, including bone musical pipes and bullroarers. The film was made by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland for the European Music Archaeology Project. It is in English with German subtitles.



![IASPM Research Seminar September 2021 - Spanish Popular Musicians and Precariousness
Spanish Popular Musicians and Precariousness: Past and present (COVID time)
Dr. Francisco Javier Bethencourt Llobet
(Universidad Complutense de Madrid)
Abstract:
Spanish popular music has been studied from multiple perspectives by anthropologists, musicologists, sociologists and more recently by popular music scholars, researchers who settle gradually in music schools and universities. All those approximations enrich recent publications, however, from the beginning of IASPM organization had the intention to include also the musicians perspective. After carrying on fieldwork, and having a double “emic-etic” perspective, as a guitarist and musicologist, I have analysed how Spanish popular musicians, who already had difficulties in the past to regulate their incomes, tax payments, etc. with the COVID-19 their/our situation has become even more difficult with the shutting of performance spaces, clubs-tablaos and cancelation of festivals. Those decisions related to health and political issues are found from the origins of what we conceptualized as Música popular urbana (Spanish translation on Popular Music), already introduced by Middleton’s Studying Popular Music, a relationship between the musicians and performance spaces has existed, but also the precarious situation. According to maestro Paco de Lucía, when he was awarded with the Principe de Asturias art price “Flamencos were those who did not have anything on the fridge […]” That meaning of the concept “flamenco” relate to class could be extended now to other pop musicians (drummers, bass players…) and music technicians, producers, who are also suffering the situation.
Through the IASPM emails and UK colleagues (Richard Elliott, Ian Biddle) also through Fernán del Val, Diego García Peinazo, we are aware of recent publications, research(s), which have been made in Scotland, Wales about similar problems. Obviously the precarious situation that Spanish popular musicians are suffering is not isolated to the Iberian Penínsola. Related to the concept of displacement, many artists from Andalucía, have moved to Madrid and Catalonia even London, París and NYC to try to find a way out.
Spanish IASPM members and Complutense popular music research group (we) already have organised two events on 16th and 18th December 2020 to put ideas in common between blues, flamenco-jazz musicians and singer-song writers from Madrid´s scene. Also, in the Complutense research seminar about flamenco we also debate about different approximations, methodologies, theories, which could help popular and flamenco musicians, venue organisers, with the actual situation. Finally, we will consider the future of some of those Spanish venues, which are closing because some COVID related political decisions. Musicians are on strike and finding new ways to work together towards this particular hard situation. The possibility of teaching online has help many of those musicians to scape from their precarious situation but is not enough, even with the AIE and SGAE institutions help.
Key words: Spanish popular musicians, performance venues, politics, Precariousness, displacement and technology.
Dr. Bethencourt Llobet:
Paco Bethencourt Llobet is a guitarist, musicologist, lecturer at Universidad Complutense de Madrid. He studied flamenco guitar and musicology at Granada University and after a year in Edinburgh, he conclude his PhD thesis at Newcastle University having the luck of attending Richard Middleton’s seminars and Richard Elliot’s, Ian Biddle’s and Nanette de Jong research and pub sessions.
He has done research mainly about new flamenco music: Post- Paco de Lucía generation, electro flamenco producers and cuban jazz musicians. Paco has been involved in projects in Germany, Portugal, Spain and United Kingdom, performing at Durham, Edinburgh, Leeds, Newcastle, York and Cargo and Ronnie Scott’s in London. He has participated at International conferences, such us: IASPM Roma, México DF, La Habana, Liverpool, Kassel and Tokyo. Paco has recorded and produce albums in the UK and Spain: Electroflamenko (2007) Aleida (2013), Mirar atrás (2015), Mundos (2017), and Alchemy on the Air (2019) now working on Por Mujeres (book-album) and Canarios y Flamencos (2021). IASPM Research Seminar September 2021 - Spanish Popular Musicians and Precariousness](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/M_aYPZeScpU/mqdefault.jpg)




![Patrycja Rozbicka: Brexit and the UK live music industry: A tangled web? (taking a stock 2016-2018)
https://crosstowntraffic2018.wordpress.com
This presentation took place as part of the conference Crosstown Traffic: Popular Music Theory and Practice, which was hosted by The University of Huddersfield from September 3 - 5 2018. This event combined the IASPM UK&Ireland Biennial Conference, the 13th Art of Record Production Conference (ARP), an ISMMS conference, and the additional participation of Dancecult.
A recurrent theme within popular music studies has been discussion of how the field can integrate different disciplines and professions, for example exploring both music and its context; involving both practitioners and researchers; and encouraging interdisciplinary and collaborative work. Many different issues make such approaches challenging, and various different popular music focused subject organisations have developed somewhat independently of one another. This conference brought four such groups together, to exchange knowledge, collaborate, and encourage crosstalk.
/// SUPPORT
Popular Music Studies Research Group (PMSRG), University of Huddersfield https://research.hud.ac.uk/pmsrg/#
Centre for Music, Culture and Identity (CMCI), University of Huddersfield
https://research.hud.ac.uk/institutes-centres/cmci/
The International Association for the Study of Popular Music UK and Ireland Branch (IASPM UK & Ireland)
www.iaspm.org.uk
Association for the Study of the Art of Record Production (ASARP)
www.artofrecordproduction.com/
Dancecult Research Network (DRN) studies into electronic dance music culture
www.dancecult-research.net
International Society for Metal Music Studies (ISMMS)
www.metalstudies.org/
/// ORGANIZERS
IASPM UK&I: Rupert Till
ARP: Katia Isakoff, Shara Rambarran
ISMMS: Karl Spracklen
Dancecult: Graham St. John
University of Huddersfield: Jan Herbst, Austin Moore, Lisa Colton, Toby Martin, Catherine Haworth, Mark Mynett
/// CREDITS
This online project was edited, collated, and made available online by Chris McConnell, Jack Zissell, and Colin Frank.
/// PRESENTATION DETAILS
Brexit and the UK live music industry: A tangled web? (taking a stock 2016-2018)
Dr Patrycja Rozbicka - Aston University, Birmingham
E-mail: p.rozbicka@aston.ac.uk
/// ABSTRACT
The question of a fallout from Brexit on the music industry is hunting a number of analysts. The trend in mushrooming publications (see for example: Billboard and Pitchfork portals)[1] and media coverage (with the Guardian and Politico.eu taking lead) confirms existing interest in the topic. Most of the analysts draw a distinction between the immediate-short term effect of the “leave” result stemming from the referendum and the long-term consequences of evoking the art. 50 and the UK leaving the European Union (EU). Contrary to the general focus on the music sector and leaving aside the short-term consequences, the below entry focuses on possible scenarios resulting from upcoming Brexit negotiations for a specific sub-sector of economy: the live music industry. We first bring about numbers and indicators underlying the importance of the sub-sector for the UK and Europe’s economies (briefly alluding also to its cultural value). Later, while bringing to the front the discussion of current arrangements for Norway, Switzerland, US and Canada, we suggest two possible scenarios. The conclusions are rather gloom and clearly indicate negative effects for involved stakeholders. Patrycja Rozbicka: Brexit and the UK live music industry: A tangled web? (taking a stock 2016-2018)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ORpSoqD5SmA/mqdefault.jpg)

