UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 09 JULY 2013
Music lovers around the world – from Lebanon to the West Coast of America - are today (Tuesday 9 July) participating in a unique online music project launched by a Birmingham City University student.
Craig Hamilton, an MA Music Industries student, is using social media to invite fellow music fans from across the globe to take part in the first ever worldwide look at how people experience their music in the fast changing digital world.
The project, dubbed Harkive, is inviting fans to submit and share their stories of how, where and why they listen to music. Submissions will continue to be accepted until Tuesday 16 July.
By gathering and sharing these stories, Harkive will capture a global snapshot of the way in which we interact with the sounds and technology of today, and get to the essence of what music means to us as all.
“The landscape of music consumption has changed radically over the last decade”, says Harkive project manager, Craig Hamilton, based at Birmingham City University’s School of Media.
“Services that many of us take for granted, such as You Tube and Spotify, simply did not exist 10 years ago. Meanwhile, the resurgence of some physical formats and vinyl in particular, show that these still resonate for fans.
“Harkive will discover how we each create our own patchwork from what is available to us, and will map how these change in the years to come when Harkive plans to return in 2014, becoming an annual event. My intention is that these stories help contribute to the furtherance of knowledge and study of popular music culture.”
Fans will be able to contribute their stories on 9th July 2013 in a number of ways, either by emailing the project, posting to social networking sites such as Twitter using the #harkive hashtag, or by posting on the wall of the Harkive Facebook page. Contributions from renowned music journalists, including Andrew Harrison (Select, The Word, Q Magazine), Jude Rogers (The Observer, Q Magazine, The Word), Joe Muggs (Mix Mag, Wire, The Arts Desk) and Rob Fitzpatrick (Spotify, Sunday Times, Guardian), have already been posted to the Harkive website, to help point fans in the right direction.
Music fans contributing their story on 9 July will be automatically entered into a competition for a chance to win CDs, vinyl, gig tickets, and a host of other items donated. A number of independent music companies, including Wichita Recordings (Home of Bloc Party and The Cribs), UK Jazz label Edition Records, and the music and comedy venue chain, The Glee Club, are supporting the project by contributing prizes. A full list of the prizes on offer and details of how to contribute your story can be found at www.harkive.org.
Twitter: @harkive Facebook: /harkive