Music industry democratization: British independent record labels in 2012
Open Access
- Author:
- Karth, Melinda Danelle
- Area of Honors:
- Media Studies
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Arts
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Charles Elavsky, Thesis Supervisor
Dr. Susan Mary Strohm, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- music industry
British
independent
record labels
democratization
socialism
cultural policy
internet - Abstract:
- In response to music industry concentration, British independent record labels in the 1980s successfully, though briefly, established an autonomous network that allowed for them to produce and distribute music without major record company assistance. In addition to gaining access to the commercial market, these entrepreneurs also strived to achieve something more profound: music industry democratization. Ultimately, it was believed that such ‘democratization’ could be achieved by diminishing major record company control over the market, introducing new sounds and voices to the public, and defending the rights of creative workers. Thus, by developing their own sets of practices and ideologies, these independents worked to protect the business and creation of music. Nonetheless, while their attempts were initially successful, the independent infrastructure has since struggled to maintain autonomy in an increasingly concentrated music market. This pattern of struggle, though, has recently shifted, as independents have begun to achieve notable success in the commercial market, causing many to claim that music industry democratization has finally been realized. This generalization, however, dilutes the meaning of ‘democratization’ to nothing more than commercial market access, thus ignoring other issues, such as the rights of creative labor. Therefore, in response to this generalization, this thesis intends to examine the actual practices of independent labels in 2012 to consider if the pursuit for industry democratization is still being strived for. To accomplish this, studies on independent artists and record labels will be conducted, as well as examinations on external influencers that affect the independent sector, such as government policy. Ultimately, the goal of this project is to gain a better understanding of the practices, motivations, and struggles of British independent record labels in 2012 in order to evaluate their contributions to the British music sector.