Conflicts, integration, hybridization of subcultures: An ecological approach to the case of queercore

This paper investigates the case study of queercore, providing a socio-historical analysis of its subcultural production, in the terms of what Michel Foucault has called archaeology of knowledge (1969). In particular, we will focus on: the self-definition of the movement; the conflicts between the two merged worlds of punk and queer culture; the \u201cinternal-subcultural\u201d conflicts between both queercore and punk, and between queercore and gay\lesbian music culture; the political aspects of differentiation. In the conclusion, we will offer an innovative theoretical proposal about the interpretation of subcultures in ecological and semiotic terms, combining the contribution of the American sociologist Andrew Abbot and of the Russian semiologist Jurij Michajlovi\u10d Lotma

Criminal Minded? : Mixtape DJs, The Piracy Paradox, and Lessons for the Recording Industry

For at least the past three years, leading American fashion designers have lobbied for passage of copyright-like protection for the design aspects of their apparel creations. For at least as long, the recorded music industry has been engaged in an aggressive campaign to enforce its copyrights in recorded music against a number of technology-enabled and/or culturally sympathetic alleged infringers, including twelve year-olds and grandmothers. Although the record labels already have protection under the copyright law while the fashion houses seek it, they have at least one thing in common: some portion of the piracy that they seek to eradicate is more valuable to them than they publicly let on. In their recent article The Piracy Paradox: Innovation and Intellectual Property in Fashion Design, Kal Raustiala and Chris Sprigman explore the low-IP equilibrium of the fashion design industry, as well as the unexpected value created by a low-protection regime. One might ask whether there is anything wrong with chilling an unlawful activity such as large-scale copyright infringement. The article argues that there is something wrong with such a result, but that the owners of the copyright in the recordings either fail to appreciate the problem or fail to account for the problem in executing their enforcement strategy. Hip-hop mixtape DJs are engaged in productive infringement – infringing activity or improper appropriation that adds value to the infringed asset, rather than leading to losses for the copyright owner. Dealing with such infringement requires an approach different from typical recording industry tactics. This article argues that, in order to preserve and enhance the value of their own assets, the record labels should practice strategic forbearance

“Our Angel of Salvation”- Towards an Understanding of Iranian Cyberspace as an Alternative Sphere of Musical Sociality

This article explores the emergence of the internet as an alternative sphere of musical circulation, focusing on the case of Iran and specifically certain kinds of music for which the internet has become the primary arena of musical sociality, in some cases replacing its physical public presence entirely. In particular, it asks how the spaces opened up by new media technologies have shifted the conceptual boundaries between public and private. The article begins with an overview of recent scholarly work on Iranian cyberspace and on the relationship between “public” and “private,” which provide a grounding for the case examples that follow

Laments and serenades: relationship marketing and legitimation strategies for the cultural entrepreneur

This paper investigates how the marketing/entrepreneurship interface functions within the cultural sector. Specifically, the paper considers how cultural entrepreneurs in the music industry market not to customers, but to networks that control the resources necessary to support entrepreneurial ventures. Evidence is drawn from the qualitative research of a study on access to finance by owner-managers of independent music companies (“cultural entrepreneurs”). The findings support the notion that “legitimation” is a key factor in accessing such resources. Cultural entrepreneurs have difficulties in establishing either “pragmatic legitimation” (derived from the self-interest of organisations across marketing networks) or “cognitive legitimation” (derived from perceptions of normality and conformity within marketing networks). Marketing strategies at both individual and industry level are put forward to overcome these barriers. For individual businesses, a “selection strategy” using creative clusters or a “manipulation strategy” that manages the cultural environment are recommended. The implications for relationship marketing models are discussed