Date of Award
2014
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Sociology
Abstract
This dissertation examines the careers of workers within the Indie rock industry in Chicago. Little is known about how workers transition from subculture participants to industry workers. Expanding upon research on workers in culture industries, I conducted twenty-six qualitative interviews with workers in the industry, asking open-ended questions about their careers and experiences to understand how they establish and maintain careers in an industry that relies on a particular subculture whose ethos considers financial success as suspect, and a risk to integrity. I show how workers' early interest in music goes beyond typical teenage fascination and becomes the focus of their lives. I examine the considerable sacrifices workers make in terms of time, income, and personal relationships, and how gender, class, and race structure and are structured by the industry. Finally, I conclude with suggestions for further research in the industry and the subculture that could lead to a richer and fuller understanding of the context within which this industry functions.
Recommended Citation
Van Altena, Annmarie Schneider-Edman, "When Subcultures Become Careers: Working in Indie Rock" (2014). Dissertations. 1308.
https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/1308
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2014 Annmarie Schneider-Edman Van Altena
