Perceived impact of music festivals on the development of the hosting cities: a case study of Carpino Folk Festival Student name: Maria Giovanna Castigliego Student number: 454779 Supervisor: Dr. Frans Brouwer Master Cultural Economics and Entrepreneurship Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication Erasmus University Rotterdam Master Thesis February 9th, 2018 Perceived impact of music festivals on the development of the hosting cities: a case study of Carpino Folk Festival Abstract This paper focuses on effects of music festivals on the cities that host them as perceived by the local population and the organizers. The paper uses both qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze the effects in terms of recreation/socialization, culture/education, tourism, internal revenue generation, natural resources, external revenue generation, community pride/spirit and image creation/change. The design of the research is a case study on the Carpino Folk Festival in the Foggia area (Italy). An interview with the organizers of the festival have been conducted. Subsequently, a questionnaire about the same topics have been prepared and handed in to a sample of 150 people from Carpino. The research has found that the festival has had a remarkable impact on the community of Carpino in all aforementioned fields. Nevertheless, the perceptions of the festival slightly varied between organizers and residents. Both parties agree that the festival improves the image of the city and boosts sales of most of the local shops, cafés and restaurants. Concerning the cultural aspects, festival organizers are sceptical about the local youth’s interest in folk music; but the results of the questionnaire show how Carpino’s youth, instead, enjoys and engages in tradition-related activities. Limitations of the research and suggestions for further research are also discussed. Keywords: Music festivals, Tourism, Impact on cities, Carpino Folk Festival, Image Development 2 Maria Giovanna Castigliego 454779 ACKNOWLEDGMENT I would first like to thank my thesis supervisor, Dr. Frans Brouwer of the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication at the Erasmus University, who has always been supportive and patient, and has constantly provided me with valuable advices. Second, I would like to thank the Carpino Folk Festival organization for their commitment in the local cultural life and for their contribution to the present research. Finally, I must thank my family that, despite all difficulties, has always supported and encouraged me. 3 Maria Giovanna Castigliego 454779 Table of contents 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 6 1.1 Relevance of the research ........................................................................................................... 7 1.2 Motivation .................................................................................................................................... 8 2. Literature review ............................................................................................................................. 10 2.1 The growth of the event industry ............................................................................................. 10 2.2 The role of events and festivals in our society ......................................................................... 10 2.3 Different perspectives on festival studies ................................................................................ 11 2.4 Studying the impact of festivals ............................................................................................... 12 2.5 Motivations to stage a festival .................................................................................................. 13 2.6 Motivations to attend a festival and audience’s expectations ................................................ 17 2.7 Folk festivals: definitions and history ...................................................................................... 19 2.8 Authenticity ................................................................................................................................ 21 2.9 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 22 3. Methodology .................................................................................................................................... 24 3.1 Carpino Folk Festival ................................................................................................................ 24 3.1.1 Cantori ................................................................................................................................. 25 3.2 Methods and strategy ................................................................................................................ 26 3.3 Research design ......................................................................................................................... 28 3.4 Sample and data collection ....................................................................................................... 28 3.5 Validity and reliability .............................................................................................................. 30 4. Results .............................................................................................................................................. 32 4.1 Outcomes from the interview ................................................................................................... 32 4.1.1 Culture and education ........................................................................................................ 33 4.1.2 Socialization and recreation .............................................................................................. 35 4.1.3 Tourism ............................................................................................................................... 35 4.1.4 Internal and external revenue generation ........................................................................ 36 4.1.5 Local and natural resources .............................................................................................. 38 4.1.6 Image creation/change ....................................................................................................... 38 4.1.7 Community pride/spirit ..................................................................................................... 39 4.1.8 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 40 5. The inhabitants’ view ..................................................................................................................... 41 5.1 Recreation/socialization ............................................................................................................ 42 5.2 Culture/education ...................................................................................................................... 43 5.3 Tourism ...................................................................................................................................... 45 4 Maria Giovanna Castigliego 454779 5.4 Revenue generation ................................................................................................................... 46 5.5 Natural resources ...................................................................................................................... 46 5.6 Community pride/spirit ............................................................................................................ 46 5.7 Image creation/changing ........................................................................................................... 47 5.8 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 47 6. Conclusions ...................................................................................................................................... 49 6.1 Limitations of the research ....................................................................................................... 50 6.2 Suggestions for further research .............................................................................................. 50 References ............................................................................................................................................ 52 A.1. Interview guide ....................................................................................................................... 56 A.2 Questionnaire ....................................................................................................................... 58 5 Maria Giovanna Castigliego 454779 1. Introduction The last couple of decades have seen major changes within the music industry, especially those brought by the digital revolution. Those changes resulted in a turmoil that particularly concerns the recording branch of the music industry. On the other hand, the last years also saw the growth of the live music market (Mitchell, 2015). The boom of music festivals, in the era of online services like YouTube and Spotify, made available, for a growing number of people, an experience that offers the visitors the chance to see the performance of a variety of