Back to Basics II: Functions of Curation

So, last week we laid the foundation to understanding the heart of curation. Now that we know the what, we can dig a little deeper into the different ways in which the art of curation mediates different practices in music.

To do so, we have aimed to pin-point 4 functions of music curation in different spaces:

Mediating Aesthetics

As we saw in the previous article, curation is more than just the collection and organisation of songs or music paraphernalia. One of the key functions of curation is to add to or highlight the aesthetic function of the music that it collates. Think of the last Spotify Playlist you listened to. Was it based on a specific genre or a 'mood'? Was the effect of the track altered when listened to as part of a playlist or as a stand-alone piece of music? How music is curated and presented impacts its aesthetic quality. If the same track was presented as a vinyl record or a live performance, the aesthetic function of the music gets transformed.

Moving away from the pure collection and curation of music recordings, the personas that artists embody, the fonts and cover images that make magazines recognisable, the promotional material and atmosphere created for/at concerts are all forms of curation that allow curators "to make aesthetic decisions about how to present their own work" (Atton, 2014, p. 424)

Historical Function

One of the ways in which curation functions is when the process takes on a historiological approach. Here, curation not only performs the function of record-keeping, it simultaneously acts as a site of nostalgia. Think of music archives, throwback playlists, vinyl record stores, vintage cassette resellers, record players, and so on. Taking old music recordings and reintroducing it to the masses forms a part of what Benjamin refers to as the act of recollecting/re-collecting - an idea that Atton echoes in his work on curation. (2014).

In the first instance, these curated collections - be it in the form of digital copies or as tangible objects - create in us a yearning to revisit the past.

As someone who grew up on cassettes and who has now completely transitioned down the digital rabbit hole, the memories of creating a playlist on Sunday evenings with Dad was not as simple as 'press play'. Images of rummaging through boxes of tape cassettes, finding the right side (A and B), pressing analogue buttons on the old Bose player till we found the right song - all these tedious but joyful acts were our little way of curating our weekend - a 'Sunday Morning Playlist' if you will.

But as cassettes have faded into oblivion, music archives or sites like YouTube provide a link to that otherwise lost era. In doing so, it is also re-collecting those pieces of music, in different formats, on different platforms, curating a collection that bridges the past and the present. As Roy puts it (2014):

"Nostalgia, which can be a way of critically engaging with past recordings, past formats and past technologies, is simultaneously shaped by the past and by the present."

Music Archive

Online Vintage Music Store

Social Function

Building on the aesthetic function. One of the things that curation creates room for is self-representation and self-curation. As we see with the personas and public images that musicians carefully craft, curation becomes a tool for self-expression. It becomes the vehicle through which music creators not only communicate their identities but also facilitate communication between themselves and the audience/listener.

Economic Function

Like all else in our capitalist world, curation, in certain contexts, has an economic function. Remember the music on the speakers you listened to when you last went shopping at Primark? That wasn't just a simple case of the sales rep plugging in their phone and leaving it on shuffle. Playlists for commercial spaces like malls, shops, boutiques, restaurants, brands, sports teams, etc., are created not just from a sonic standpoint, but an economic one. As music curator Raymond Medhurst explains,

"For example, the music selection can encourage shoppers to spend the optimum length of time in-store – faster pace to increase turnover, relaxed pace encouraging shoppers to browse, or providing a staff pick-me-up at 3 pm. The energy might need to change throughout the day and week, as well as during sales periods. To match these changes in energy, the tempo and styles of music change too. Playlists can also be adjusted seasonally, for example, tracks with a tropical feel to them may be introduced if a tropical inspired range comes into store."

So, while acting as a mood-setter, a well-curated playlist aims to keep the customers lively and their wallets open, thus driving sales and the profits of the location in question.

So the next time you visit your favourite store, keep a ear out for the musak they play!

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References:

Atton, C. (2014). Curating popular music: Authority and history, aesthetics, and technology. Popular Music,33(3), 413-427.

Medhurst, R. (2018). Mumbrella. Available at: https://mumbrella.com.au/what-does-a-music-curator-actually-do-555023 (Accessed on: 6th May, 2021)

Roy, Elodie (2014). 'Displacing the Past', in Mediated Nostalgia and Recorded Sound. Volume 1 (11 : 1), 145–158.