How (or to what extent) is collaboration important in the pop songwriting domain?

Abstract

The pop music domain is an unusual one, a market driven by consumers but full of music creators who want to be known and taken seriously for making authentic and valuable art. Collaborations in both the field of songwriting and performing (ie duets) have a long history in pop music, but how do collaborations affect a song's outcome and its potential to be commercially successful? This research will offer a definition of pop music and discuss how collaboration has become central to producing it. This dissertation will investigate the benefits and disadvantages of collaboration and how collaboration itself has evolved. It will also identify through ethnographic and auto ethnographic research, what is important to pop music practitioners when it comes to collaboration and will analyse how some common methods of collaboration are used in my own collaborative practice. Finally, it will look into collaborative performances and the legalities of rights and expectations when songwriting and performing with others