International conference hosted by the Department of Culture, Media and Creative Industries, King’s College London

Jointly organized by:

  • Media Industries Scholarly Interest Group, Society for Cinema and Media Studies (SCMS)
  • Media Industry Studies Interest Group, International Communication Association (ICA)
  • Screen Industries Work Group, European Network for Cinema and Media Studies (NECS)
  • Media Industries and Cultural Production Section, European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA)
  • European Media Management Association (EMMA)
  • Screen Industries Special Interest Group, British Association of Film, Television and Screen Studies (BAFTSS)
  • AG Medienindustrien, Gesellschaft für Medienwissenschaft (GFM)
  • Media Industries journal

HOST COMMITTEE

Paul McDonald (conference chair), Sarah Atkinson, Bridget Conor, Virginia Crisp, Jeanette Steemers

ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Hanne Bruun (ECREA), Elizabeth Evans (Media Industries), Tom Evens (EMMA), David Hesmondhaigh (ECREA), Derek Johnson (SCMS), Skadi Loist (GFM), Amanda Lotz (ICA), Alisa Perren (Media Industries), Roel Puijk (IAMCR), Kevin Sanson (Media Industries), Andrew Spicer (BAFTSS), Petr Szczepanik (NECS), Patrick Vonderau (GFM)

FOCUS

Studies of media industries have formed a distinctive strand of media scholarship. Foundational traditions in this field are marked by the political economy of communications, sociology of media occupations and institutions, media economics, media industry historiography, and critical and cultural studies. Subsequently, insights drawn from critical legal studies, cultural policy studies, economic geography, creative labour, cultural economy, Internet studies, production cultures and informal media economies have diversified and enriched the field.

In part this interest arises from contemporary changes within the media industries themselves, with the global extension and integration of media markets, digitalization of media production and distribution, changing business models, proliferation of supply channels, patterns of corporate convergence, and the blurring of producer/consumer relations. These are only the most recent development, however, of industries built on complex and contested histories.

With the boom in media industries scholarship and emergence of dedicated degree programmes or single modules, studies of industry have gained a visible place in media curricula. This conference is therefore providing an international and interdisciplinary forum for reviewing the past and present state of media industry studies, and defining the future of the field.

Papers, panels and workshop are invited from all traditions in media industries scholarship. We welcome work across the full breadth of media industries – print, publishing and journalism, advertising, recorded music, film/cinema, radio, television, video, games, mobile communications and social media – and in all international or historical contexts.

Thematic concerns include but are not limited to:

  • critical and conceptual perspectives
  • methodological approaches
  • cultural and creative industries
  • political economy
  • production cultures and studies
  • economic sociology
  • de-westernizing media industry studies
  • distribution studies
  • gatekeepers and intermediaries
  • cultural and economic globalization
  • impacts of digitalization
  • independent and alternative media institutions
  • media industries historiography
  • cooperative and competitive inter-industry interactions
  • law and the shaping of media industries
  • marketing and branding media content
  • media management
  • media markets and flows
  • retail and sales of media
  • networks, infrastructures and ecologies
  • ownership and concentration
  • policy and regulation
  • politics of media labour
  • teaching media industries
  • media technologies as these relate to media industries

SUBMISSIONS

Deadline: 23.00hrs GMT 15 September 2017

Submissions are welcomed in three categories: open call papers, pre-constituted panels, or pre-constituted workshops. Detailed requirements below.

Delegates can contribute to the conference in up to different two capacities, i.e. presenting both a paper and contributing to a workshop but not presenting two papers. Chairing a panel or workshop will NOT count as one of these roles.

To submit your paper, panel or workshop, please access the submission portal:

1) Open call papers

Format: solo or jointly presented research papers lasting no more than 20mins. Submissions in this category must provide the following details:
Type: State this is an open call research paper
Title: Paper title
Name(s): Speaker(s)
Contact: E-mail address(es) for the speaker(s)
Abstract: Description of the paper not exceeding 300 words
Sources: List up to 5 sources relevant to the paper
Biography: Brief professional biography/ies for the speaker(s) not exceeding 100 words
Keywords: Up to 5 terms identifying the focus of the paper

2) Pre-constituted panels

Format: 90mins panel of 3 x 20mins OR 4 x 15mins thematically linked research papers followed by questions. Submissions in this category must provide the following details AS A SINGLE SUBMISSION.
Type: State this is a pre-constituted panel
Title: Panel title
Name(s): Chair(s)
Contact: E-mail address(es) for the chair(s)
Abstract: Description of the panel not exceeding 300 words
Biography: Brief professional biography/ies for the chair(s) not exceeding 100 words
Keywords: Up to 5 terms identifying the focus of the panel

In addition, the submission must provide the following for EACH paper on the panel.
Title: Paper title
Name(s): Speaker(s)
Contact: E-mail address(es) for the speaker(s)
Abstract: Description of the paper not exceeding 300 words
Sources: List up to 5 sources relevant to the paper
Biography: Brief professional biography/ies for the speaker(s) not exceeding 100 words

3) Pre-constituted workshops

Format: 90mins interactive forum led by 4 or 5 x 8mins thematically linked informal presentations designed to energize collective discussion and participation amongst the speakers and the audience of matters relating to the practices of researching or teaching media industries. Submissions in this category must provide the following details AS A SINGLE SUBMISSION.
Type: State this is a pre-constituted workshop
Title: Workshop title
Name(s): Chair(s)
Contact: E-mail address(es) for the chair(s)
Abstract: Description of the workshop not exceeding 300 words
Sources: List up to 5 sources relevant to the workshop
Biography: Brief professional biography/ies for the chair(s) not exceeding 100 words
Keywords: Up to 5 terms identifying the focus of the workshop

In addition, the submission must provide the following for EACH presenter in the workshop.
Name(s): Presenter(s)
Contact: E-mail address(es) for the presenter(s)
Abstract: Description of the presentation not exceeding 150 words
Biography: Brief professional biography/ies for the speaker(s) not exceeding 100 words
Conference website: https://mediaindustrystudies.wordpress.com/