Popular Music Practice: Music as Research. Introduction to the Special Issue

This is the editorial introduction for a special issue of IASPM Journal entitled Popular Music Practice: Music as Research. It discusses the origins of this special issue, and the past rarity of popular music practice publications in academic contexts. It examines characteristics of popular music practice research, and that collaboration and relationship are often of more relevance than novelty, or purity of aesthetic. It explores the common themes of the research presented in this publication, addressing the development of the field in the UK and Australia, as well as discussing why audience reception, technology and collaboration are particularly relevant in this field. It finishes by calling for more publications of popular music practice research in the future.