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"The Beginning After the End": Independent Music, Canadian Cultural Policy and the Montreal Indie Music Scene Shevaughn Battle A Thesis in The Department Of Communication Studies Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts (Media Studies) at Concordia University Montreal, Quebec, Canada April 2009 © Shevaughn Battle, 2009 Library and Archives Bibliothgque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de l'6dition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votrn reference ISBN: 978-0-494-63287-1 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-63287-1 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non- support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimis ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privee, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1+1 Canada ABSTRACT "The Beginning After the End": Independent Music, Canadian Cultural Policy and the Montreal Indie Music Scene Shevaughn Battle This thesis is a political economic analysis of the structures of the global music industry and the place of the independent music industry within it. The objective of this study is to map out and explore some of the changes that are currently transforming these industries. I focus particularly on those issues facing emerging, independent musical artists in a globalized context; including the reasons for the dominance of the industry by the "Big Four" multinational record labels; technological advancements that have led to a reduction of entry barriers for independent labels and artists; the roles cultural policies have played to help counter the dominance of the multinational record labels and the importance of musical "scenes" to the development of independent music. This study is approached from a Canadian perspective and includes a case study of the rise and international explosion of the Montreal indie music scene in 2005. Through this case study, I explore the impact of technological innovation on this scene and the ways in which Canadian cultural policies have helped support and promote independent Canadian artists, as well as examine the current relevance of these policies. Ultimately, I hope to draw broader conclusions about the shifting structures of the music industry and how independent artists can represent, maintain and grow their culture within the US-dominated global popular music industry. iii Acknowledgements Throughout my time in the Media Studies Department at Concordia, those who have made my journey memorable have been those professors and fellow students with whom I have worked most closely. I would like to thank, first of all, Leslie Regan Shade, my supervisor, who has been a constant source of encouragement throughout my time in the program and to whom I will always be grateful for her guidance, patience and insights, and for always challenging me. I would also like to acknowledge my professors, Kim Sawchuk, Martin Allor, William Buxton and Matt Soar, as well as my fellow students, particularly, Marian van der Zon, Andrea Langlois, Diane Dechief and Una Shoumarova, for their contributions to my academic growth. I owe a debt of gratitude as well to those professors who first inspired me while in the Communication Studies undergraduate program at Concordia: Nancie Wight, lain Cook, Dennis Murphy and Paul Theberge; and to Wade Nelson for encouraging me to pursue my Master's degree in the first place. A warm thank you as well to all my friends for their support and for knowing when, and when not, to ask: "So how's the thesis coming?" and for understanding when I couldn't be there. A special thanks to Matthew Kerby, for his constant advice, insights and encouragement and to Gary Jansz, for his willingness to always entertain my new insights and approaches. Heartfelt thanks to my friend and editor, Angel Beyde, for her incomparable editing skills; and to Dan Seligman at Pop Montreal for his time and willingness to share his insights, as well as those other interview subjects who wished to remain anonymous. Last but not least, thanks to my family for all their love and support throughout this process; to my sister Kate, for her care packages; to my father Justin, for his patience in our late-night consultation sessions, and to my mother, May, to whom I dedicate this thesis. iv Table of Contents INTRODUCTION 1 Research Problematic 2 Rationale for the Study 2 Objective 5 Methodology 5 Definitions 6 Chapter Breakdown ...7 History/Overview of the Power Structures of the Global Music Industry 8 Overview of Canadian Cultural Policies 8 Overview of the Canadian Independent Music Industry and the Montreal Indie Music Scene from 2004 to 2006 9 Expected Significance of the Study 10 CHAPTER ONE — History/Overview of the Power Structures of the Global Music Industry., .........................11 The Political Economy of the Global Music Industry 14 Commodification 14 Spatialization 16 Structuration 19 Issues of Power... History/Overview 22 The Beginnings of a Great Shift 28 Benefits/Challenges for the indies 28 Benefits to Consumers 32 Challenges to the Majors 33 Conclusion 35 CHAPTER TWO — Overview of Canadian Cultural Policies 36 Introduction 36 Setting the Stage 38 Canadian Cultural Policy 39 Cultural Economics 40 The Cultural Tool Kit 46 The Next Challenge: New Technology 56 Conclusion 64 CHAPTER THREE — Overview of the Canadian Independent Music Industry & the Montreal Indie Music Scene from 2004 - 2006 .65 Introduction 65 Research Challenges 66 The Music Industries in Canada from 1878 - 1970 68 A New Era: The Establishment of the Independent Canadian Music Industry 72 Canadian Cultural Policy and the Expansion of the Canadian Independent Music Industry 74 The Montreal Indie Music Scene: 2004 - 2006 78 Scenes 79 The Tipping Point: Spin, The New York Times, Rolling Stone and Time 84 History: Setting the Scene 87 Left-Leaning Politics 89 Godspeed You! Black Emperor 91 Expansion of the Industry 93 Giving Back 95 vi Other Forms of Support: The Cultural Tool Kit 98 Conclusion 100 CONCLUSION 102 The Role of Canadian Cultural Policies 103 The Future of Independent Music Industries 105 The Future of the Montreal Indie Music Scene 108 BIBLIOGRAPHY 111 Government Sources 115 Web References 115 APPENDICES Appendix A - Overview of the "Big Four" Multinational Record Companies Appendix B - Global Music Market Sales Shares Appendix C - Cultural Policy Tool Kit Matrix i Appendix D - Summary Protocol Form & Sample Interview Questions vii Why is this Canada's indie moment? [...] There is an essential truth and honesty to Canada's indie music, created by bands that operate free of the onerous pressure applied by the big record labels and their need for fat profit margins. It is music shaped in large part by our cultural landscape. [...] There is now a worldwide audience hungry for the latest independent Canadian musical exports. Our ideas are simple enough to understand, and we're not pushing anything ridiculous or pretentious. We are Canadian. We are successful. And we have our dignity intact. [...] This current crop of successful Canadian indie bands has helped revive music worldwide. - Brendan Canning of Canadian band Broken Social Scene, Time Canada, April 4, 2005. INTRODUCTION I was listening to the radio and couldn't believe my ears. It was August 2005 and I was driving through the Swedish countryside, flipping through local radio stations when I happened upon a station playing a song I vaguely recognized. After the song was over, the announcer came on and, from what I could tell, began listing the songs just aired in that play list. Not understanding Swedish, I had no idea what he was saying, until I heard the words "Ageless Beauty" and "Stars" and then something about Canada. Here I was, in the wilds of the Swedish countryside, thousands of kilometres from Canada, listening to independent Canadian music by Montreal-based band Stars, a song that would not even be played on Canadian commercial radio. It didn't end there. While in Denmark a week later, I met a friend-of-a-friend who is a journalist with pre- eminent Danish music magazine Gaffa. When he discovered that I was from Canada, Montreal no less, he started inundating me with questions about all kinds of independent Canadian bands, some of whom I had scarcely even heard. I was shocked. Having previously worked in the independent Canadian music industry for over a decade, and still following it with keen interest, I knew that there was a renaissance of sorts concerning independent Canadian music, particularly indie bands coming out of 1 Montreal, aided by recent high profile articles in magazines such as Spin, Rolling Stone, Time and even the New York Times; but I had no idea of its reach and depth.