Ano Sirppiniemi studied ethnomusicology at the University of Helsinki. His master's thesis (2001) dealt with the activities of VELMU, an association of pop musicians in Vantaa, one of the suburb communities of the Greater Helsinki area. He then worked with Internet surveys in a market research company and has now started work as a researcher in the project, in which he will complete his Ph.D. project.

Ano Sirppiniemi's project is entitled "Reason by Propellerheads: A case study of virtual communities of amateur musicians on the Internet using computer-based synthesizer and sequencer software".

"Reason", created in Sweden, is a commercial music-making software that consists of a computer-based "virtual" sound recording studio. It is used by thousands of amateur and pro musicians all over the world.

The software has given rise to an international, web-based sub-culture, with a number of music-making related activities, such as chatting, sound file sharing, web pages, and music disseminated on the net. Sirppiniemi, who is an electronic keyboard player himself, studies the phenomena by using a wide array of methods, such as interviews, web surveys etc.

More information: www.musiikki.info

ano.sirppiniemi@helsinki.fi