In the times of privatization, regulation and bureaucratization, the main problem, regarding activities related to music, is who controls music in terms of its digital sharing, international free-trade and diminishing power of society in shrinking nation-states. The main streams and potential topics of the proposed conference, though not exclusively, are:

• (Popular) Music and the state
• State regulations and internal markets.
• Former Yugoslavia as a specific music market, and its survival.
• (Popular) Music and (civil) society
• Music and resistance movements.
• Popular music beyond the market.
• (Popular) music and capital
• Music life in neoliberalism.
• Media, digitalization, copyright and accumulation of capital in music.

Popular music is a contested field, occupied by many different agents, not only musicians and audiences. It is integral part of existing (super)structures and power relations. Nation states still define the basic social environment for production, reproduction and the development of popular music. They define internal markets and provide regulations of its production. Within transnational alliances, as, e.g., European Union, common regulations additionally shape not only popular music markets, but basic activities and infrastructure in which it is being shaped: from music schools and public music venues to private venues, distribution channels and legislation regarding copyright and media.

Papers proposals (no more than 300 words) related to the topics mentioned above, as well as, e.g., capital and music (music /as a/ capital); privatization of music resources; state and society; militant sources and grounds of music in Europe, music and civil society, should be sent to musicoccupied@gmail.com no later than February 29, 2016.

Place: KUD France Prešeren, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Time: June 3-5, 2016
Local organizers: Dept. of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana and Institute of Cultural and Memory Studies ZRC SAZU In collaboration with German Society for Popular Music Studies GfPM
Conference fee: 50,00 EUR (members of GfPM 25,00 EUR)