Research Team
Prof. Martin Cloonan
Principal Investigator
Martin Cloonan is a Convener of Postgraduate Studies in Music within the School of Culture and Creative Arts at the University of Glasgow. His research interests are in the Politics of Popular Music, an area in which he has a number of publications, and in issues concerning censorship and freedom of expression. Martin is a member of the editorial boards of Popular Music, Popular Music and Society and Beitrage zur Popularmusikforschung. His published works include Dark Side of The Tune: Popular Music and Violence (with Bruce Johnson, 2008), Popular Music and the State in the UK (2007) and Banned! Censorship of Popular Music in Britain: 1967-92 (1996). Martin also managed the Glasgow-based band, Zoey Van Goey and is the chair of the anti-censorship group, Freemuse.
E-mail: Martin Cloonan
Dr. John Williamson
Research Associate
John Williamson is the full-time researcher on the Musicians’ Union: A Social History project. His background combines journalism, academia and a range of work across the music industries. This has included writing for The Herald newspaper between 1991 and 2008, completing a PhD on Intellectual Property, Entrepreneurship and Rent-Seeking in the Music Industries at Queen Margaret University and previously managing the Glasgow based bands, bis and Belle and Sebastian. His research includes work on the defining and problematising the music industries as well as their relationship with cultural policy, other cultural industries and higher eduction.
Telephone: 0141 330 7414
E-mail: John Williamson
Steering Committee
The project has a steering committee comprising:
Matt Brennan, University of Edinburgh
Chris Burgess, People’s History Museum
Keith Gildart, University of Wolverhampton
Mike Jempson, University of the West of England
Penny King, freelance Arts consultant
Robert Noakes, Neon Productions
Karl McGee, University of Stirling
Mark Pemberton, Association of British Orchestras
John Smith, Musicians’ Union
Matt Stahl, University of Western Ontario