Music as Labour: Inequalities and Activism in the Past and Present

Description

This book brings together research at the intersection of music, cultural industries, management, antiracist politics and gender studies to analyse music as labour, in particular highlighting social inequalities and activism. Providing insights into labour processes and practices, the authors investigate the changing role of manifold actors, institutions and technologies and the corresponding shifts in the valuation and evaluation of music achievements that have shaped the relationship between music, labour, the economy and politics. With research into a variety of geographic regions, chapters shed light on the various ways by which musicians’ work is performed, constructed and managed at different times and show that musicians’ working practices have been marked by precarity, insecurity and short-term contracts long before capitalism invited everybody to ‘be creative’. In doing so, they specifically examine the dynamics in music professions and educational institutions, as well as gatekeepers and mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion. With a specific emphasis on inequalities in the music industries, this book will be essential reading for scholars seeking to understand the collective actions and initiatives that foster participation, inclusion, diversity and fair pay amongst musicians and other workers. Cover Half Title Series Information Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Contributors Acknowledgements Introduction The Changing Nature of Creative Labour Music as Self-Organised Labour and Micro-Entrepreneurial Activities Inequalities and Activism in the Music Industries References 1 Ironworks as Venues of Music Production: The Ostrava/Vítkovice Case From the 1890s to the 1910s Introduction Mining and Factory Musicians: Founding Members of the Austrian-Hungarian Musicians’ Association Specificities of Working Conditions in Mines and Ironworks Dual Employments for Mining and Factory Musicians The Orchestras’ Versatile Work Plans – In the Service of Ironwork’s Hierarchies Aspects of the Orchestras’ Internal Organisation A Man’s World – Concluding Remarks Notes References 2 From Bohemia to the Balkans: Towards a Socioeconomic History of Itinerant Women Musicians, 1860–1889 Introduction Musicians in Erzgebirge: An Overview Women Musicians in Pressnitz, 1870–1889: A Socioeconomic Analysis Case Study: Theresia Elster’s (1848–1866) Family Background and Career Conclusions Notes References 3 The MGM Lion’s Ominous Roar: (New) Technologies and the Disappearing Profession of Silent Movie Theatre Musicians … Setting the Scene The Spectre of (Mechanical) Sound The White Shadows of Oblivion Competing Discourses of the Unfolding Technological Drama In Place of the Closing Credits Notes References 4 ‘Work That Body’: Disco, Counterculture and the Promise of the Transformation of Work Introduction Herbert Marcuse, Counterculture and the Rise of DJ-Led Party Culture New Sounds, Professions and Employment Opportunities The Recalibration of Factory and Office Life Disco, Post-Fordist Work and Neoliberalism References 5 Hope, Labour and Privilege in American New Music New Music: A ‘New’ Hope Music in Capitalism Avatars the Work Ethic New Music’s Privileged Networks of Labour Conclusion References 6 A Lockdown Recording Project: Jazz Musicians and Metaphors for a Working Life Introduction A Lockdown Recording Project Lockdown and Industry Working Together in a New Way Working Conditions Practice Teaching Careers The Recording Project The Valences of Metaphor Entrepreneurialism Portfolio Careers The Gig Economy References 7 Emotional and Relational Labour in Music From a Feminist Perspective Introduction Creative Labour, Emotional Labour, Relational Labour Relational Labour and Care in Musical Collaboration The Gendered Dimension of Networking and Friendship Friendship and Unpaid Labour: The Status of the Amateur Helper Conclusions Notes References 8 Afghan Pop in Europe: Migration, Affect and Musical Labour Musical Labour, the Refugee Experience and Ethnographic Fieldwork Afghanistan and the Refugee Experience Afghan Music as Labour: From Radio Afghanistan to Afghan Star Working in Music Within the Afghan Diaspora in Europe Affective Labour and the Refugee Experience Conclusion Notes References 9 ‘It’s a Kind of Macho Culture’: Changes and Continuities in Young Female Musicians’ Talk About Inequalities Introduction Details About the Study Continuities: Individualisation, Progress Narratives and the Positioning of Women as the Advantaged Sex Changes: Articulating Gender Inequalities and Linking Them to Personal Experiences Sharing Experiences of Racialised and Classed Exclusions Discussion and Conclusion References 10 Women Working in the Music Business: An Alumni Study Introduction: From a Wrecking Ball to a Reckoning Theoretical Pathways Chipping Away at the ‘Brick Wall’: On Becoming a Critical Practitioner Research Methodology An Alumni Study On Bridge Building On Inequality – The Lift Is Out of Order On Knowledge Production Conclusion Acknowledgement Note References 11 Musicians of the World Unite!: The Initial Years of the International Federation of Musicians Introduction Part One: Musicians as Workers and FIM’s Formation Part Two: FIM’s Early Days Organising Who? The Record Industry and Performers’ Rights Technology Working Abroad Conclusion Notes References 12 Towards More Inclusion in the Music Industry Introduction Stigma in the Music Industry Precariousness in the Music Industry Lessons Learned Where Do We Go From Here? References 13 Moving Beyond @operaisracist: Exploring Blacktivism as a Pathway to Antiracism and Creative Justice in Opera Introduction Theoretical Framework Method Phenomenon Timeline of Events Conclusions References Index