The Other Hegemony: Effects of software development culture on music software, and what we can do about it

Abstract

NIME has recently seen critique emerging around colonisation of music technology, and the need to decolonise digital audio workstations and music software. While commercial DAWs tend to sideline musical styles outside of western norms (and even many inside too), viewing this problem through an historical lens of imperialist legacies misses the influence of a more recent - and often invisible - hegemony that bears significant direct responsibility: The culture of technological development. In this paper we focus on the commercial technological development culture that produces these softwares, to better understand the more latent reasons why music production software ends up supporting some music practices while failing others. By using this lens we can more meaningfully separate the influence of historic cultural colonisation and music tech development culture, in order to better advocate for and implement meaningful change. We will discuss why the meaning of the term “decolonisation” should be carefully examined when addressing the limitations of DAWs, because while larger imperialist legacies continue to have significant impact on our understanding of culture, this can direct attention away from the techno-cultural subset of this hegemony that is actively engaged in making the decisions that shape the software we use. We discuss how the conventions of this techno-cultural hegemony shape the affordances of major DAWs (and thereby musical creativity). We also examine specific factors that impact decision making in developing and evolving typical music software alongside latent social structures, such as competing commercial demands, how standards are shaped, and the impact of those standards. Lastly, we suggest that, while we must continue to discuss the impact of imperialist legacies on the way we make music, understanding the techno-cultural subset of the colonial hegemony and its motives can create a space to advocate for conventions in music software that are more widely inclusive.