Robert Strachan

Micro-independent record labels in the UK Discourse, DIY cultural production and the music industry

This article examines the relationship between the practices of do-it-yourself (DIY) micro-independent record labels in the UK and wider mediated discourses surrounding the music industry. It is suggested that a heightened version of the art versus commerce dichotomy central to rock ideology provides the basis for a number of legitimizing theories through which the aesthetic and industrial conventions of these practitioners are justified and given importance. First, the article suggests that these legitimizing theories serve to narrow the scope of, and draw distinct boundaries around, small-scale cultural production. Second, through a self-conscious critique of globalized corporate media they serve as an engagement with the politics of cultural production and, ultimately, media power. Finally, using two prominent case studies relating to new technology (Arctic Monkeys and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah) the article examines the ways in which discourses relating to DIY cultural production impact upon mainstream music industry practice and discourse.

A musical nation: protection, investment and branding in the Irish music industry

In 2001 the Music Board of Ireland (MBI) was established by the Republic of Ireland’s Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Sı́le de Valera. Made up of a number of prominent figures involved in music within Ireland, the board was established to act as a champion for Ireland’s music industry with a brief to assist in the development of the music sector and to work towards policies to increase its contribution to the national economy. The establishment of this board is, in many ways, a realisation of a longstanding dialogue between the Irish music industry and the national government aiming towards the establishment of a national music policy. This essay traces this process over a ten-year period from the early 1990s whilst considering the ways in which policy arguments have often centred on issues related not only to economic growth but also to national identity and cultural heritage. The following discussion suggests that the policy process has been subject to an uneven trajectory that has been affected both by macro-political developments and an underlying difficulty in integrating the music industry into established government business support initiatives due to its sectoral specificity. Finally, the article assesses the differing levels of success enjoyed by the music industry lobby pertaining to individual policy areas.