Abstract
This paper is a revised version of a short paper I was invited to prepare for discussion in the online conference “Navigating the Digital Age in the Archival Universe” organized by the Archives and Research Centre for Ethnomusicology in New Delhi, India on the occasion of their 40th anniversary celebration in October 2022. This is not an academic piece of writing: it refers to a variety of academic and non-academic sources, and it stems from my experiences of what I might describe as a ‘participant observer’ in audiovisual archives, conducting an ethnography from within the British Library’s Sound & Vision department for the past 30 years. These are some of my musings on ‘archives in the age of YouTube.’ I do not necessarily agree with all the points made. They are included as ‘provocations,’ as per the initial conference invitation.
Keywords
References
- Blacking, John. (1973). How musical is man? Seattle & London: University of Washington Press. Chapter 1
- British Library. (2023). Knowledge Matters The British Library Strategy 2023-2030 bl.uk/about-us/Knowledge-Matters-British-Library-Strategy-2023-30.pdf/ (accessed June 3, 2025)
- International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives. (2017). IASA-TC 03: The safeguarding of audiovisual heritage: ethics, principles and preservation strategy. IASA
- Lobley, N. (2012).‘Taking Xhosa Music out of the Fridge and into the Townships.’ Ethnomusicology Forum, 21(2), 181–195. https://doi.org/10.1080/17411912.2012.689472
Abstract
This paper is a revised version of a short paper I was invited to prepare for discussion in the online conference “Navigating the Digital Age in the Archival Universe” organized by the Archives and Research Centre for Ethnomusicology in New Delhi, India on the occasion of their 40th anniversary celebration in October 2022. This is not an academic piece of writing: it refers to a variety of academic and non-academic sources, and it stems from my experiences of what I might describe as a ‘participant observer’ in audiovisual archives, conducting an ethnography from within the British Library’s Sound & Vision department for the past 30 years. These are some of my musings on ‘archives in the age of YouTube.’ I do not necessarily agree with all the points made. They are included as ‘provocations,’ as per the initial conference invitation.
Keywords
References
- Blacking, John. (1973). How musical is man? Seattle & London: University of Washington Press. Chapter 1
- British Library. (2023). Knowledge Matters The British Library Strategy 2023-2030 bl.uk/about-us/Knowledge-Matters-British-Library-Strategy-2023-30.pdf/ (accessed June 3, 2025)
- International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives. (2017). IASA-TC 03: The safeguarding of audiovisual heritage: ethics, principles and preservation strategy. IASA
- Lobley, N. (2012).‘Taking Xhosa Music out of the Fridge and into the Townships.’ Ethnomusicology Forum, 21(2), 181–195. https://doi.org/10.1080/17411912.2012.689472
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Musicology and Ethnomusicology |
| Journal Section | Research Articles |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | July 30, 2025 |
| Submission Date | July 4, 2025 |
| Acceptance Date | July 24, 2025 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2025 Volume: 8 Issue: 1 |
