Primarily, this thesis utilises recorded music to examine various songwriting practices and anal-yses how songwriters can develop systematic approaches to aid in the creation of popular songs in a collaborative commercial setting. Through analysis and discussion, the thesis aims to com-prehensively understand how individuals can successfully collaborate in the context of Western popular music when songwriting under a record label's financial pressures and expectations. The study sheds light on the importance of academic research prioritising record label interests in in-dustry agreements, presenting a unique viewpoint for academic discourse and writing. The set-ting of this research is based on a mix of a post-pandemic online and in-person environment. Online collaboration provides this project with advantages such as individual growth, limitations that lead to more improvisation opportunities, and the emergence of a remote setting.Songwriting and distributed creativity are the main areas discussed and developed in this thesis. The intentionally diverse mix of the collaborators' cultural backgrounds, native languages, loca-tions, musical styles, genders, and skill sets plays a crucial role in producing musical results that showcase inventiveness and individuality. Saussure's (2011) work shows that linguistic expression and habits can also contribute to conditioned responses to certain stimuli. During certain disputes in the project, this is proven. It also confirmes that the practice of distributed cognition is crucial for achieving collaborative emergence, which is characterised by a non-individualistic mental process. Emergence refers to the phenomenon that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This research leads one to find that Mueller's (2021) theory on serendipity is relevant, particularly in situations where a single idea or feedback can significantly alter the course of a track in unexpected ways, resulting in the creation of novel and original tracks.Another emerging area of discussion is creation under time constraints. Findings show that asyn-chronous collaboration is most effective for this type of project although additional constraints have to be added -especially focused on time management- to keep the project active. With an unexpected focus on time management, it is found that only a select few combinations of indi-viduals possess the ability to collaborate creatively and produce results within the necessary time frames required by both the professional music industry and my research timeline .The diverse approaches to songwriting undertaken by collaborators, effective communication methods for online discussions and music creation are examined comprehensively. The thesis in-corporates the viewpoints of Giannis Xenikakis, CEO of the Greek record company Viral Music Group, regarding the matters of artistic creativity and responsibility. In addition, the thesis inves-tigates the songwriting strategies of producer Gina Rogdaki and guitarist Ben Fielding. The work also scrutinises the factors contributing to communication breakdowns in a professional music industry setting. The thesis further explores the impact of collaboration on the participating indi-viduals and how it was likely to shape their future careers. Finally, the thesis examines the in-sights drawn during the collaboration, the factors influencing any changes in thought, and the reasons behind them.The thesis has a positive impact on the collaborators, helping them make efficient changes to their professional setting. The findings include significant expansions on previous research and exploration of alternative perspectives to promote understanding of collaborative art projects.
| Date of Award | 13 Jan 2026 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | Jan Herbst (Main Supervisor) & Rupert Till (Co-Supervisor) |
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