PhD Student
Paxton Haven is doctoral candidate in the Radio-Television-Film Department at The University of Texas at Austin with an MA in Media Studies from UT Austin and a BA in Political Science from The George Washington University. His research focuses on critical media industries approaches to digital music cultures, specifically the role of platform power within the promotional and live music industries. His dissertation project, “IRL+URL: Platformization of the Live Music Industry,” is a study of the changing financial and cultural landscape of the live music business as key intermediaries such as DJs, venue owners, and party promoters integrate ticketing apps, alternative distribution networks, and livestreaming platforms into their creative business practices. With an ethnographic focus on Austin, TX, his dissertation spatially locates questions of power to examine the relationship between global platform services and local nightlife economies. His work can be found in New Media & Society and Sartorial Fandom: Fashion, Beauty, and Culture. He is the co-lead editor of The Velvet Light Trap.