Bury Me Deep in Isolation: a Cultural Examination of a Peripheral Music Industry and Scene
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CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Research Online @ ECU Edith Cowan University Research Online Theses: Doctorates and Masters Theses 2013 Bury me deep in isolation: A cultural examination of a peripheral music industry and scene Christina Ballico Edith Cowan University Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses Part of the Arts Management Commons, and the Other Music Commons Recommended Citation Ballico, C. (2013). Bury me deep in isolation: A cultural examination of a peripheral music industry and scene. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/682 This Thesis is posted at Research Online. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/682 Edith Cowan University Research Online Theses: Doctorates and Masters Theses 2013 Bury me deep in isolation: A cultural examination of a peripheral music industry and scene Christina Ballico Edith Cowan University Recommended Citation Ballico, C. (2013). Bury me deep in isolation: A cultural examination of a peripheral music industry and scene. Retrieved from http://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/682 This Thesis is posted at Research Online. http://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/682 Edith Cowan University Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorize you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. You are reminded of the following: Copyright owners are entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. A reproduction of material that is protected by copyright may be a copyright infringement. A court may impose penalties and award damages in relation to offences and infringements relating to copyright material. 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This thesis submitted for the fulfilment of a PhD (Communications) Christina Ballico (BComm Hons) School of Communications and Arts Edith Cowan University Declaration I certify that this thesis does not, to the best of my knowledge and belief: (i) incorporate without acknowledgement any material previously submitted for a degree or diploma in any institution of higher education; (ii) contain any material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text; or (iii) contain any defamatory material. Signed: Date: November 5, 2013 i Abstract Since 1998, Perth bands have had a strong presence within the Australian music scene. Primarily, each year between 1998 and 2009, songs by indie pop/rock acts from Perth have charted within national broadcaster triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown. Many of the albums from which these songs have been taken have sold in excess of 35,000 copies, and a number of successful and recognised Perth bands have toured with the nation’s largest music festival, the Big Day Out as well as their own high profile national tours. At the same time, Perth’s local indie pop/rock music industry has undergone tremendous growth and development, becoming more integrated into this nationally focused industry while also making significant inroads internationally. This research comprises 40 in-depth qualitative research interviews with 48 musicians and key industry players from Perth’s indie pop/rock music industry and scene. It presents a socio-culturally based examination to explore its evolution over the past decade. This is presented through an examination of the personal experiences of those involved in development of the local industry and who experienced, or witnessed an increase in success and recognition of Perth bands in national, and at times international, contexts. Broadly, this research explores the repercussions the shift in attitude toward Perth’s indie pop/rock music industry and scene as being worthy of national attention and recognition. In particular, it discusses the implications this has on the functioning of this industry as well as the careers of those within it. Further, this study examines what it means to be a musician and/ or music industry member in and from Perth along with the attitudes toward supporting local music product locally and its attempts to connect with audiences beyond the state. Within this, an examination of the influence of the city’s geographical isolation on the functioning of the local industry and on the ability for musicians to connect with audiences beyond the state is presented alongside an exploration of the role of social networks and the structure of the community of practice evident in this local industry. Additionally, the notions of creativity and creative process, core-periphery, and place and space are examined in relation to the functioning of this industry in business and creative contexts. Underwriting this is an examination of the shifts in the national and international music industries and associated music culture. These shifts all at once influenced the validity for Perth music to enter the national market and impacted upon the ongoing integration of this local industry within the national and international markets. ii Acknowledgements First and foremost I would like to thank my two supervisors, Professor Lelia Green and Associate Professor Cat Hope, for their guidance, support, feedback and friendship throughout the duration of this project. It means so much to me on a personal and professional level. Thanks also to Linda Jaunzems for (amongst a host of other things) administrative support. Thank you Dr Debbie Rodan and Dr George Karpathakis for supporting my application to the PhD program. For providing such a supportive and encouraging research environment, thank you to: the faculty of the School of Communications and Arts; members of the Centre for Research in Entertainment, Arts, Technology, Education and Communications (CREATEC) as well as Emma, Heather, Marziya, Narelle, Kathryn, Sharon and Trish and my former fellow SOAR Ambassadors in the Graduate Research School. Thank you also to the members and visiting scholars of ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation (CCI) for your support, feedback and friendship throughout this journey as well as the IASPM-ANZ cohort for always providing such a fun, engaging and informative conference experience. This project would not, and could not, be what it is without the support, enthusiasm and invaluable commitment of time and energy made by those I interviewed. Thank you. Thank you also to those of you who put me in touch with people along the way. Last, but certainly not least, thank you to my wonderful friends and family for supporting me throughout this PhD and my years of university study. What a ride! iii Publications The following conference presentations and published conference papers have arisen from this research and associated literature review: Conference presentations (non-referred) Ballico, C. (2012). It’s a three to five year plan (but stopped after two): An exploration into the development, staging and outcomes of the One Movement for Music Festival Perth. Policy Notes: Popular Music, Industry and the State (Melbourne, Australia). June 18 - 20. Ballico, C. (2012). Locally engaged, globally influenced: An examination of how the flows of global music culture influence the creation and dissemination of music created by indie pop/rock musicians from Perth, Western Australia (forthcoming). IASPM-ANZ Annual Conference (Hobart, Australia). December 5 – 7. Ballico, C. (2012). Music and place: The case of Perth. CCI Winter School Paper Jam (Brisbane, Australia). June 21 – 27. Ballico, C. (2012). Viewing the unheard. The role of music documentaries in voicing the untold stories of music genres and scenes. RevCon Academic (Perth, Australia). July 12 – 13. Ballico, C. (2011). Blurred musicality: Gatekeepers and cultural producers in localised music industries. ANZCA Annual Conference (Hamilton, New Zealand). July 6-8. Ballico, C. (2011). Collaborating creatively: The contribution of creative and collaborative networks in the indie pop/rock music industry in Perth, Western Australia. New Zealand Musicology Society Annual Conference (Wellington, New Zealand). November 26 - 28. Ballico, C. (2011). It’s exploded: An exploration of the development of Western Australia's live music festival circuit and industry. ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation Emerging Scholars Paper Jam (Sydney, Australia). November 15. Ballico, C. (2011). On the outside looking in, on the inside looking out: The joys and sorrows of researching the embodied in Perth's local contemporary music industry. CREATEC Annual Symposium (Perth, Australia). October 19- 21. iv Ballico, C. (2011). Perth bands were all the rage man!: An exploration of the roots, routines and routes of Perth’s indie pop/rock music scene. IASPM-ANZ Annual Conference (Wellington, New Zealand). November 23 - 25. Ballico, C. (2010). Alive and gigging: An exploration into the role of the live music environment in the formation and sustaining of music communities. IASPM-ANZ Annual Conference (Melbourne, Australia). November 25 - 27. Published conference papers (referred) Ballico, C. (2012). Perth bands were all the rage man!: An exploration of the roots, routines and routes of Perth music, the case of End of Fashion (forthcoming). In, Routes, roots and routines: Papers from the 2011 IASPM-ANZ Annual Conference.