The Internet of Musical Stuff (IoMuSt): ubimus perspectives on artificial scarcity, virtual communities and (de)objectification

Marcello Messina; Damián Keller; Luzilei Aliel Aliel; Carlos Gomez; Marcos Célio Filho; Ivan Simurra

doi:10.51191/issn.2637-1898.2022.5.9.26

Authors

Marcello Messina Southern Federal University (SFEDU), Russia, Amazon Center for Music Research (NAP) Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8822-3342
Damián Keller Federal University of Acre (UFAC), Brazil, Amazon Center for Music Research (NAP) Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0866-3066
Luzilei Aliel University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil, Amazon Center for Music Research (NAP) Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6728-6451
Carlos Gomez Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), Brazil, Amazon Center for Music Research (NAP) Author
Marcos Célio Filho Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), Brazil, Amazon Center for Music Research (NAP) Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5467-333X
Ivan Simurra Federal University of Acre (UFAC), Brazil, Amazon Center for Music Research (NAP) Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3307-1484

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51191/issn.2637-1898.2022.5.9.26

Keywords:

NFTs, Internet of Musical Stuff, (de)objectification, ubimus

Abstract

Part of the recent developments in Ubiquitous Music (ubimus) research involve the proposal of the Internet of Musical Stuff (IoMuSt) as an expansion and complement to the Internet of Musical Things (IoMusT). The transition from IoMusT to IoMuSt entails a critique of blockchain and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as technologies for allotment, disciplination and regimentation of formerly open and freely accessible artistic web content. In brief, the replacement of the operative concepts constructed around “things” with strategies based on “stuff ” highlights the underlying interconnected processes and factors that impact interaction and usage, pointing to resources that become disposable and valueless within an objectified and monetized musical internet. This conceptual and methodological turn allows us to deal with distributed-creativity phenomena in marginalized spaces, highlighting the role of resources that are widely reproducible, fluid and ever-changing. In this paper, we address IoMuSt-based responses to issues such as the artificial production of scarcity associated with the application of NFTs. The selected musical examples showcase the meshwork of dynamic relationships that characterizes ubimus research. In particular, we focus on a comprovisation project involving VOIP visual communication through Skype, Meet and Zoom, a ubimus experience involving a Telegram chatbot and a set of musical experiments enabled by an online tool for remote live patching.

Author Biographies

Marcello Messina, Southern Federal University (SFEDU), Russia, Amazon Center for Music Research (NAP)

Marcello Messina is currently working as chief researcher in History and International Relations at Southern Federal University, in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. He also holds honorary lecturerships in Cultural Studies and Music at the the Federal Universities of Acre and Paraíba, in Brazil. As a member of NAP and g-ubimus, his research covers algorithmic composition, live coding/patching, political and philosophical approaches to creative practices and post-pandemic music making.
Damián Keller, Federal University of Acre (UFAC), Brazil, Amazon Center for Music Research (NAP)

Damián Keller is an associate professor of music technology at the Federal University of Acre and the Federal University of Paraíba, Brazil. He is a member and founder of the Amazon Centre for Music Research (NAP) and the Ubiquitous Music Group. His research targets ubimus, ecologically grounded creative practice and multisensory music-making.
Luzilei Aliel, University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil, Amazon Center for Music Research (NAP)

Luzilei Aliel holds a PhD in creative processes from the University of São Paulo. The main topic of his research is comprovisation (composition + improvisation) and the relationship between algorithmic composition, multimodal installations and music education. He is a member of NAP (Amazon Center for Musical Research) based at UFAC (Federal University of Acre), of NuSom (Research Center in Sonology) based at the Department of Music at ECA / USP, and of NEAC (Audio Engineering and Sound Encoding) based at the Engineering Department at POLI/USP.
Carlos Gomez, Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), Brazil, Amazon Center for Music Research (NAP)

Carlos Mario Gómez Mejía is a Colombian double bass player residing in Brazil. In 2016 he entered the Sinfónica Municipal de João Pessoa (OSMJP) and has since worked as a double bass instructor within the project Ação Social Pela Música (ASPM-JP). Since 2019 is reading for a PhD in musicology under the supervision of Marcello Messina, with a scholarship offered by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES). Carlos is part of the Núcleo Amazônico de Pesquisa Musical (NAP) since 2020.
Marcos Célio Filho, Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), Brazil, Amazon Center for Music Research (NAP)

Marcos Célio Filho is a composer and academic from Paraiba. He is currently completing his Masters degree in composition at the Federal University of Paraíba, under the supervision of Marcello Messina, with a scholarship offered by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES). As a member of NAP, Marcos has written about ubimus philosophical frameworks and live coding.
Ivan Simurra, Federal University of Acre (UFAC), Brazil, Amazon Center for Music Research (NAP)

Ivan Eiji Simurra is a composer and researcher who performs electronic manipulations in Pop Music (DJ). He holds a PhD from the State University of Campinas with emphasis on Creative Processes, under the guidance of Jônatas Manzolli, with funding from FAPESP and CAPES-FAPESP. He is currently adjunct professor at the Center for Education, Letters and Arts of the Federal University of Acre.