Michael Waugh

Michael Waugh is an academic working in the field of digital media and popular music who recently completed his Phd. The thesis, entitled “’Music that actually matters?’: Post-Internet musicians, retromania and authenticity in online popular musical milieux,” is the first monograph-length study of Post-Internet musicians and their self-conscious explorations of contemporary identity, representation, social media, and digital networks. Fifteen prominent artists, including Holly Herndon, Arca, 18+, Jam City, Evian Christ, Fatima Al Qadiri, Aaron David Ross, Ryan Trecartin, and SOPHIE, were interviewed for the project. Waugh has presented papers on current trends in popular music and digital media at international conferences such as Porto's KISMIF, Northampton's PopLife, Glasgow’s IASPM Postgraduate Conference, UCLan's Future Sound Music Conference, and Northumbria's Irish Popular Music in Britain.