Like a sustainable version: Practising independence in the Central Sydney independent music scene

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. 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 inquiring 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, 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 relevant textual research were conducted in between 2017 and 2019. Additionally, online social media profiles of influential artists and institutions integral to this scene were analysed. The study finds that accumulated economic resources, musical literacies, social networks, and experience associated with long-term and recurrent involvement with music-related work are crucial factors in the ways participants fashion cultural practices based around aesthetic independence. 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.