Academic articles on modern music, pop, rock, or otherwise are now an established line of research, with even specialized academic publications. Yet, usually, these publications can be labeled as a ‘mixed affair,’ discussing a particular genre or genres, their sociological or political aspect, or similar.
Now though, one such academic publication is solely devoted to one rock/pop artist – The Journal of Beatles Studies, published by Liverpool University Press, is the first journal to establish The Beatles as an object of scholarly research.
The biannual, peer-reviewed journal will publish original, rigorously researched essays and notes and book and media reviews.
As reported, articles in the first issue include “Beatlemania: On Informational Cascades and Spectacular Success” and “80 at 80: Commemorating Paul McCartney’s Eightieth Birthday.”
The editors of the journal are Holly Tessler at the University of Liverpool and Paul Long at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.
The editors pointed out that there’s already been a wide range of scientific articles about the Beatles, linking them with various subjects.
These range from mathematics to the computed tomography scanner and an AI-powered music composition machine.
The new journal is open-access – which means it is to be freely available online without being behind a paywall or requiring a subscription.
There is also a limited edition commemorative paperback copy, priced at £16 and available from the Liverpool University Press website.