ProMusicDB.org: Preserving Legacy With Artist-Centric Professional Music Data Curation

Abstract

ABSTRACTTypically, curation is performed to preserve legacy of something or someone of significance in art, culture, science, literature, or any other discipline. In most scenarios, it is performed by an expert archivist or historian collecting artifacts and historical references. The more popular and documented the subject, the better the possibility of finding records leading to more comprehensive curation.In the case of music, curation has always been challenging as there are numerous genres, forms and types of music created on a continuous basis across the globe. Music professionals are collaborating and experimenting to produce new music on a regular basis. The activities and performances by each one of them is unique from an art and culture point of view and are, therefore, worthy of preserving.Empowering music professionals to take charge of their own data curation process can be a solution, as when musicians are themselves involved, they can offer first-hand information about every aspect of music they create or are involved in. In addition, musicians can also provide some form of official record to verify their participation. This artist-centric process can help a musician build and organize their complete professional portfolio covering every professional activity with complete metadata about their music career, which they can utilize to market themselves, or track potential income streams.In this article, a case study for ProMusicDB’s Professional Music Data Curation Service will be presented, detailing the process of creating the ProMusicDB profile of veteran artist/professional musician Clydene Jackson.