FairMusE at the Eurovisions International Conference: Rethinking Fairness in a Platform-Dominated Music World
- eurovisionsconfere
- Apr 2
- 2 min read
The 2025 Eurovisions International Conference promises to be a landmark gathering for those interested in the intersection of music, media, and fairness. One of the most compelling contributions this year comes from the Horizon Europe-funded research initiative FairMusE – Promoting Fairness of the Music Ecosystem in a Platform-Dominated and Post-Pandemic Europe. Represented by Prof. Giuseppe Mazziotti and Assoc. Prof. Jannick Kirk Sørensen, FairMusE stands out as a research project that directly tackles the theme of this year’s conference: “(Un)Fairness in Music.”
When Digital Dominance Undermines Fairness
In his impulse speech, Prof. Mazziotti, a legal scholar with a musical past, explores how digital platforms have fundamentally reshaped the music industry’s legal and economic frameworks. His research dives into the murky waters of multi-territorial licensing, algorithmic distribution, and the data asymmetries that now govern music rights management. These hidden structures, he argues, systematically undermine transparency and fairness—especially in how artists and right-holders are compensated.
Mazziotti’s perspective is especially powerful because it blends legal expertise with lived experience as a trained clarinettist. His insights illuminate how opaque licensing models benefit some stakeholders while marginalizing others, a dynamic that echoes the broader (un)fairness debates at the heart of the Eurovision Song Contest itself—from voting patterns to national visibility.
Can Streaming Be Fair?
Complementing this legal and policy angle, Assoc. Prof. Jannick Kirk Sørensen contributes fresh empirical data from FairMusE’s investigation of user behavior on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music. His work addresses the biases of algorithmic recommendation systems and their impact on musical diversity and exposure. One of FairMusE’s innovative ideas is the development of a “fairness score” for streaming platforms—an attempt to quantify justice in an inherently commercial and data-driven landscape.
This idea is not only bold—it’s essential. As Eurovision continues to evolve within a digital-first media environment, the very visibility of songs, genres, and even nations is increasingly shaped by algorithms. Sørensen’s findings invite us to think critically: Are streaming platforms promoting diversity, or merely reinforcing the success of the already-successful?
What Eurovision Can Learn from FairMusE
The parallels between FairMusE’s focus and the Eurovision Song Contest are striking. Both operate in spaces where exposure equals opportunity, where data and perception shape success, and where systemic inequalities are often hidden behind layers of “neutral” technology. By addressing these issues head-on, FairMusE contributes to a broader and more urgent conversation—not only about how music is heard, but about who gets heard in the first place.
Join the Conversation
FairMusE reminds us that fairness in music is not a metaphor—it’s measurable, structural, and deeply embedded in the systems we often take for granted. We’re proud to welcome Prof. Mazziotti and Assoc. Prof. Sørensen to the Eurovisions International Conference 2025.
Find out about the full programme at: www.eurovisions.eu/programme-2025
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