The We Want More: Feedback! Young scholars workshop is part of the international music studies conference We Want More: Music / Sociology! The Erasmus University Rotterdam research centre Rotterdam Popular Music Studies (RPMS) will host this afternoon together with the Benelux Branch of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music. IASPM Benelux has as a key objective to nourish academic talent in the field of popular music studies within the Benelux region, for example through its annual student conference and thesis prize.
- Date
- Wednesday 8 Apr 2026, 10:00 - 17:00
- Type
- Call
- Spoken Language
- English
- Location
Erasmus University Rotterdam
Themes
RPMS and IASPM Benelux invite young scholars (i.e. MA students, PhD canidates) to submit paper abstracts from all disciplines of popular music studies (sociology, cultural studies, geography etc.). Themes may include:
- AI, streaming, algorithms, and the platformization of music
- Music, care, health, and well-being
- Production, labour, and careers in the music industry
- Audience (live) experiences, taste, and consumption in music
- Social inequalities, cultural representation, and coloniality in music
- Sustainable and resilient music ecosystems and its policy implications
- Music education, learning and professionalization
- The political economy of music industries and music business
- Music, urban space, nightlife
- Music, protest, activism, and social change
- Music from the margins, de-westernizing music studies
This list of research themes is not exhaustive, and papers may also address other aspects of popular music studies.
Program
We strongly encourage submissions from PhD candidates and MA students with an ambition to do a PhD. Students are expected to present on their PhD or MA thesis research and will have the opportunity to discuss it with senior researchers within the field of popular music studies. The program will further include a skills workshop and a Q&A with a professor sharing tricks of the trade.
This conference is organized by the research centre Rotterdam Popular Music Studies and IASPM Benelux.
- More information
Abstracts (approx. 500 words, in English) are due by October 1, 2025, and full papers (15-30 pages) are due by March 1, 2026. Only abstracts and papers submitted on time will be considered.
A maximum of 10 papers will be selected for participation to guarantee a workshop atmosphere where feedback can be properly given and received. The sessions will combine paper presentations, peer feedback and discussions including interactive elements.
Please email your submission to rpms@eur.nl
Paper proposals and final papers must be submitted as pdf documents and should include contact information, university affiliation, and e-mail address of the author(s).
- Related links
- Rotterdam Popular Music Studies
