MS Network was initiated when Marc Battier (MINT/IREMUS/EMSAN - Institute of Research in Musicology and Univ. Paris-Sorbonne) and Leigh Landy (MTI Research Centre - De Montfort Univ.) both felt that a recognised platform for sharing scholarship in this field was missing. The creation of a bilingual conference platform specifically focused on relevant areas seemed to be the logical first step towards resolving this issue. They proposed a meeting that became part of IRCAM’s Résonances activities in 2003 entitled “Electroacoustic Musics: A century of innovation involving sound and technology - resources, discourse, analytical tools” which was to become the first EMS Network event, be it prior to EMS being launched. Subsequent to this event, they were joined by Daniel Teruggi (INA/GRM) who was to become the third Executive Director of EMS.

EMS Network has been organised to fill an important gap in terms of electroacoustic music, namely focusing on the better understanding of the various manifestations of electroacoustic music. Areas related to the study of electroacoustic music range from the musicological to more interdisciplinary approaches, from studies concerning the impact of technology on musical creativity to the investigation of the ubiquitous nature of electroacoustic sounds today. The choice of the word, ‘network’ is of fundamental importance as one of our goals is to make relevant initiatives more widely available.