About
David Arditi
David Arditi is an associate professor of sociology at the University of Texas at Arlington. He also serves as the director of the Center for Theory.
David grew grew up in Williamsburg, Virginia. Then went to Virginia Tech, where he received a BA and MA in Political Science. After deciding political science isn't political enough, David left southwestern Virginia for the DC suburbs to earn a PhD in Cultural Studies at George Mason University.
As a gigging drummer, David became interested in the livelihoods of musicians. His research is at the intersection of music, culture, and technology. David’s newest book is Streaming Culture: Subscription Platforms and the Unending Consumption, which explores the changing nature of capitalism in a society that places subscriptions above material commodities. Hi book Getting Signed: Record Contracts, Musicians and Power in Society explores the way musicians’ dreams become their source of exploitation. David is author of iTake-Over: The Recording Industry in the Streaming Era and co-editor of The Dialectic of Digital Culture. His research has appeared in Critical Sociology, Popular Music & Society, Journal of Popular Music Studies, Popular Communication, Media Fields Journal, and Civilisations. He also serves as Editor of Fast Capitalism.
CV
Editorial Work
Editor
Open Access - Peer-Reviewed Journal
Editor
Critical Perspectives on Music & Society
Books Series with Lexington Books
News and Public Opinion
“Hollywood strikes are the result of our addiction to streaming TV.” The Independent, July 14, 2023
“The Exploitation of Hollywood’s Writers Is Just Another Symptom of Digital Feudalism.” The Conversation, May 5, 2023.
“TikTok Bans Limit the Free Flow of Information and Impinge on Academic Freedom.” EdSurge, February 7, 2023.
“How Record Contracts Exploit Musicians and How We Can Fix It.” The Tennessean, November 25, 2020.
“Dreams of Stardom.” Social Science Matters, November 2, 2020.
“Musicians, Labor, and COVID19.” Working in Music. June 9, 2020.
“Billboard plays catch-up to YouTube's dominance.” The Tennessean, March 9, 2020.
“Finding the Music We Won’t Celebrate at the Grammys.” The Dallas Morning News, January 2020.
“From Vinyl to Streaming.” UTArlington Magazine. Winter 2020.