Like a Sustainable Version: Practising Independence in the Central Sydney Independent Music Scene
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Like a sustainable version: Practising independence in the Central Sydney independent music scene Shams Bin Quader A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Gender and Cultural Studies School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences University of Sydney 2020 DECLARATION I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person, not material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma of a university or other institute of higher learning, except where due acknowledgement has been made in the text. Shams Bin Quader 22 April 2020 SHAMS QUADER i ABSTRACT Independent music is a complex concept. It has meant different things at different historical moments of popular music and within academic, music press and industry discourses. Even though what independent music refers to might not be substantive, it has tended to signify an oppositional ethos comprising practices related to maintaining distinction from commercialised popular music. Historical narratives of popular music reveal that independent music or indie, has been defined and re-defined, from signifying an ethos of resistance comprising anti-major record label and anti- corporatisation attitudes, to rubrics of sound aesthetics, marketing categories and niche audience segments. Its different connotations then should not be assumed. Comprehension of different dimensions of independent music call for theorisation of youth, rebellion, alternative cultures, and their connections with musical forms, along with production and distribution-related organisational infrastructures revolving around them. This study is about exploring how contemporary independent musicians practice independence within the Central Sydney independent music scene. A socio-cultural formation of like- minded, largely middle-class musicians and enthusiasts involved with independent music currently exists within the geographical region of Central Sydney. Exploration of this local phenomenon necessitates asking questions about the contemporary state of this scene, including how and why it takes the form that it does, and how might independence take particular forms. To respond to such issues, qualitative strategies of inquiry were conducted in between 2017 and 2019. These included semi-structured interviews with 15 individuals of the ages of 18 and above who are involved with the scene, supplemented with participant observation at live gigs and textual research encompassing relevant lyrics, music, photos and information from websites, online social media, newspaper articles, magazines, posters, flyers, radio and television programs. Additionally, online social media profiles of influential artists, institutions such as venues, events, media outlets, independent record labels, shops, and organisations integral to this scene were analysed. Chapter 1 unpacks different dimensions of independent music, by theorising its associated social formations before analysing its relative position regarding the popular music industries. Chapter 2 then explores the historicity of Australian popular music, with a special focus on the emergence of local independent music, followed by a brief overview of the current Central Sydney independent music scene focusing on key comparisons between its formative predecessors of Oz rock, punk and post-punk and its present form. Chapter 3 examines how participants of this study practice independence within the cultural economy of the scene. It analyses the resources and forms of labour through which participants maintain independent practices. Chapter 4 outlines how these research participants respond to policy environments to swim within contesting currents from multi-level government intervention strategies intended for mediating Sydney’s culture. Finally, Chapter 5 explores how the research participants’ ‘digital DIY’ practices provide additional opportunities for practising independence, and the implications of such practices for contemporary independent music. Out of the 15 participants of this study, 11 were university-educated, 6 were classically trained musicians, and 5 were both – indicative of their possession of certain resources. The study revealed a tendency towards long-standing involvement with the scene, which was distinguished by the comparatively mature ages of the majority of research participants. Accumulated economic resources, musical literacies, social networks, and experience associated with long-term and recurrent involvement with music-related work were found to be crucial factors in the ways participants fashion cultural practices based around aesthetic independence. The thesis analyses practical strategies through which such independence is maintained, including entrepreneurial practices, portfolio careers and pro-am involvement where participants deploy economic resources derived outside SHAMS QUADER ii independent music. Their resources and strategies allow them to operate independent of the paradoxical government intervention strategies associated with both facilitation and regulation of Sydney’s culture. Finally, digital music and communication technologies not only allow musicians to circumvent some of the classic functions of managers, producers, recording studios, booking agents, promoters, distributors, marketing and PR representatives, major record labels and mainstream distribution channels, but also bypass, to some extent, institutional infrastructures previously associated with independent music, such as independent record labels and distribution networks. Overall, the study finds that the contemporary Central Sydney independent music scene does not represent iterations of art versus commerce tropes reminiscent of some representations of independent music cultures, such as ones depicting short-lived youth culture with its oppositional ethos and tensions around going mainstream. Members of this scene position themselves through particular configurations of resources, strategies and economic exchanges, which allow them to both construct their living and practice aesthetic independence through passion projects of creative experimentations within a sustainable milieu in ways that would be difficult while following imperatives of mainstream music markets. SHAMS QUADER iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis has been aided by the generous support of the University of Sydney’s Department of Gender and Cultural Studies. To Guy Redden, thank you for your supervision. It has been an honour and privilege to work under your guidance. This thesis has tremendously benefitted from your knowledge, experience, commitment, and critical imagination. You are the best mentor that I could have ever possibly asked for and your intellectual generosity has positively influenced my career as an academic and researcher. To Scott Webster, thank you for reading my drafts and providing crucial feedback. Your suggestions have made my thesis a hundred times better. To Ivy Kong, thank you for being my sources of encouragement and emotional support towards the final stages of my candidature. I would not have been able to make it through this support without your help. To Nick Fogarty, thank you for setting up the ‘shut up and write’ sessions in Semester 2, 2019. These sessions, along with regulars Sue Reid, Yunji Park and you significantly helped me complete writing my thesis within the due date. Thank you for lending me your collective creative energies. To Kerryn Drysdale, Rachel Cole, Jan Filmer and Portia T. Loeto, thank you for providing continuous intellectual guidance whenever I needed it. Conversing with each of you during different parts of my candidature helped me get over different writing obstacles and conceptual conundrums. To Darren Leung, Josto Luzzo, Arum Budiastuti, Aisha Malik and Djuna Violeta, thank you for being my friend during this tenuous and lonely journey of PhD candidature. Finally, a very special thanks to my wife Farah Jaleel, my son Zidane J. Quader, and my family members Sharifa Quader, Ishrat Jahan Quader and G.M. Quader for never doubting me and continuously supporting me while I perused this degree. Your faith in me has been fundamental. Thank you, Farah, for keeping your career ambitions on-hold to support mine. I can never thank you enough. I dedicate this doctoral degree to my niece Maureen Araddho Ahmed. Although we have never had a conversation because you are non-verbal, I feel that we have been communicating since the day you were born. I chose to pursue a PhD in Australia so that I could spend more time with you. SHAMS QUADER iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................... iv INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 7 What is ‘indie’ or ‘alternative rock’ music? ........................................................................................ 7 Practising independence in Central Sydney ...................................................................................... 10 Research Approach ..........................................................................................................................