After meeting with my dissertation tutor Simon Poole, the point of this research has been clarified.

This dissertation will be a case study of the 8bit genre.

The dissertation will establish what the genre is, examine any subcultural/counter-cultural ideas, determine how applicable genre theory is to 8bit, and also examine the technological aspects of the genre.

The research will question why artists are drawn to producing using 8bit technology. Is it a response to the commercial availability of much higher fidelity equipment (the "fuck pro-tools" ethos, or a movement against iPods and CD's (see McLaren vid below)), or more simply a novelty or nostalgic approach to music production?

Fundamentally, the research will try to capture a snapshot of 8bit/Chiptune in the year 2007 and determine weather or not the genre an important artistic step in music capable of becoming a viable genre within the music industry, or a nostalgic waste of time written by geeks with nothing better to do (scathing!).

http://www.8-b.it - Italian 8bit site (maybe Roland (Italian Production lecturer) can tell me what's going on?

http://www.ctrlaltdelete.org/0002.html - a clever chap has used a gameboy emulator on his moblie phone to run nanoloop... how far could chip tune go if doable on you mobile phone?

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i recived this message from Anders Carlsson, aka Goto80 - a prominant sweedish artist.

Hello, just stumbled across your 8bit dissertation place and I found yourperspectives quite interesting.I'd like to help out.I've got some texts about it lying around, though the best ones are inGerman (which I sort of don't understand myself, haha).About open source / copyright stuff the demoscene is very interesting.Defining chip music is really hard, when you get too deep into it. :)Malcolm McLaren might be interesting when it comes to your commercialperspective, but don't rely on his words about the chip music community toomuch. He's got an agenda, you know.Erhm, so what about my agenda? :)I want to contribute to presentations about chip music so people don't getthe wrong idea through idealized texts in the media, for example by MalcolmMcLaren.I saw the 8BIT movie when I was at the Blip Festival, and it has someinteresting points in there, so check it out if you can.uha.e.ae,,.... shit, I'm actually quite tired and should start writing. Butyeah, feel free to get in touch!-anders

to which i replied -

Anders, Thanks for taking an interest in my work.. sorry I didn't reply to you sooner but other essays and then Christmas etc.. I'm beginning to see how much I have bitten off with that little phrase "8bit". Everyday I'm finding someone somewhere making music with something new/old. Then there is the whole circuit-bending lot, and the rest! I think a large part of my research will look at copyright issues involved with this kind of music, and also if and how 8bit/chiptune can grow, or even wants to grow, as a genre.i realise McLaren is up to his old tricks but i still feel he would be the best person to talk to about the cold hard industry view, but i'm well prepared to take everything he says with a pinch of salt! any help or info you can send my way would be greatly appreciated.thanks again, Ad xx

and he, very kindly, replied -

hi again.

if you're focusing on copyright issues it's interesting to get a grip on the demoscene, since it was the forerunner in spreading creative computer works for free, and also partly open source. but yeah, it's a tricky field. this free book might give u a couple of ideas. it's a hobbyist project but it has some really interesting parts: http://svenskefaen.no/cdne/

good luck!

i havent replied to this because, as you can see, i don't really know where i'm going at this precice moment in time, and i don't want to make myself a nucence just yet. although i'm sure i will soon enough.

what, exactly, is this disertation?

i wanna find out about the possibility of marketting chiptune music as a genre.

i want to look atthe sceen as it is now, i.e. the relese of 8bp50 and the releses on Rebel Pet Set (includeing brickabrack records.

i want to apply frith's ideas about conventions in order to define the genre.

i want to examine the legality of bastadising gameboys and the like for thier sound chips with regard to interlectual property.

i want to look at the therioes devised with other subcultures in mind and apply them to ciptune.

i want to invistigate the musicological aspect of the genre i eventlally (hopefully) define.

i want to essentially write a report detailing exactly what needs to be done to relese a sucessfull chiptune/8bit record.

or do i?