Journal

Call for contributions: Early Recordings Association Journal

The Early Recordings Association (ERA) is excited to announce the launch of its journal, Early Recordings Association Journal, in Autumn 2025 — an online-only, peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary annual journal that aims at reflecting the present diversity of approaches to historical recorded sound in Musicology, Performance Studies, Sound Studies, Popular Music Studies, Ethnomusicology, Cultural Studies, Sociology, the History of Science and Technology, Information Studies and other related disciplines.

To this effect, we are inviting submission of articles and special issues and review proposals to be considered for publication in issue 1 and subsequent issues of the Journal. 

Please send all submissions and queries to: earlyrecordingsassociation@surrey.ac.uk

Articles

• Articles must be original and must not have been published elsewhere. They can cover any aspect of the history, analysis or present-day applications of historical recordings, recording technologies, recorded sound and/or recorded performance.
• The recommended length for an article is 6,000 to 8,000 words, exclusive of references and other apparatus. Articles shorter or longer than this might still be considered, but please check with the editors before submitting your article.
• The intended readership of the Journal is one which is interested in and knowledgeable about the history of recording technologies and recordings. In preparing your submission, though, you are also invited to consider that it is also a varied readership, comprised of academics and non-academics (e.g. collectors, curators, sound engineers), with varying levels of knowledge of specific bodies of terminology and theory: please try to write your article with this readership in mind.
• Article submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis. If you would like your article to be considered for publication in the first issue of the Journal (autumn 2025), please submit it by 31st March 2025. Articles submitted after this date will be considered for subsequent issues of the journal. Authors are welcome to contact the editors by e-mail to check their proposed article’s fit before submitting the full manuscript.

Special issue proposals

• Special issues must consist of an introduction and between 4 and 6 articles, which must be original and must not have been published elsewhere. The roundtable as a unit should aim at covering an original aspect of the history, analysis or present-day applications of early recordings, recording technologies, recorded sound and/or recorded performance.
• The recommended length for the introduction is 2,000 to 4,000 words, with each article being 6,000 to 8,000 words. If the roundtable as a unit is shorter or longer than this, it might still be considered, but please check with the editors first.
• The timeline for special issue proposals is as follows:

-Submit a special issue proposal by 31st January 2025. This should include a rationale for the roundtable (500-1,000 words), and abstracts for each individual contribution (300 words each).

-The editorial team will notify acceptances by 28th February 2025. At this point, we will also discuss with you a timeline for submission and revision. We aim at publishing the first special issue in autumn 2026, and then annually after that.

Please note that special issues are not expected to take up the entirety of a journal issue - typically, a journal issue will include a number of articles grouped under a special issue (that will be clearly identified on the journal’s webpage), plus a number of stand-alone articles and/or reviews.

Reviews

• The Journal will also publish reviews of significant new monographs and digital resources about any aspect of early recordings. Reviews will typically be between 1,000 and 2,000 words.
• If you are the author or a monograph or digital resource you would like to see reviewed, please contact the editors with details.
• If you would like to be part of our reviewer pool, please contact the editors with details of your expertise and the kinds of monographs/resources you would be happy to review. 

References

Early Recordings Association Journal uses the Chicago referencing style. Recordings should be referenced with basic details (matrix number, composer, performer, date, if known and applicable) along with article-specific information as required.

Editorial Board

Patrick Feaster

Nikos Ordoulidis

Eva Moreda Rodríguez

Inja Stanović