Discussing the notion of the auteur in contemporary music production

It has become increasingly common to see music creators take on multiple creative and technical roles as they create music - roles that would have once been handled by several individual specialists. Due in part to improvements in the functionality and affordability of studio technology, the fundamental concept of the recording studio has changed. This contemporary production approach isn’t exclusive to the top tier of musicians and producers - bedroom producers are beginning their musical journeys making complete works from their laptops. ‘The auteur’ is a term describing the accomplished producer-composer who exerts authority over most, if not all, of the aspects of a production. The application of this term is not without some degree of conflict within the scholarly community. The term ‘auteur’ came into usage in French film criticism in the 1950s describing a director who influences their films to the extent that they are considered to be the author. It has since been adopted by other creative fields, including music. Some question how and when authorship or auteurship can be unequivocally assigned, considering complex issues such as collaboration and intertextuality; others wonder whether this credit should be assigned to one person at all. While the debate regarding authorship and auteurship is ongoing and duly recognised, the dissertation assumes the position that the term ‘auteur’ is legitimate. Several accomplished producer-composers who may be considered auteurs and their works are scrutinised, and a methodological framework is presented through identifying a number of components that these music producers attest to as contributing to their creative process. This framework could be used to aid the progress of other producer-composers who are operating within popular music styles