Songwriting Under Pressure: Songwriting Camps as Manifestation of Technological and Social Acceleration

Carsten Wernicke; Michael Ahlers

doi:10.82391/sustain.v1i1.5

Authors

Carsten Wernicke Leuphana University of Lüneburg https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6912-4034 (unauthenticated)
Michael Ahlers Leuphana University of Lüneburg https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2678-9236 (unauthenticated)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.82391/sustain.v1i1.5

Keywords:

Songwriting Camps, Social Acceleration, Music & Technology, Organization, Digital Audio Workstation

Abstract

This study examines commercial songwriting camps as stress-laden environments shaped by technological and social acceleration. Using ethnographic fieldwork, interviews with 65 music industry professionals, and a controlled laboratory setting, the research identifies how organizational structures, infrastructure constraints, and time pressures generate stress at micro (individual), meso (social/organizational), and macro (societal) levels. The study concludes that songwriting camps exemplify neoliberal acceleration within music industries while simultaneously offering networking and financial opportunities.

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Songwriting Under Pressure

Songwriting Camps as Manifestation of Technological and Social Acceleration

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