The social and cultural values of live music: Sustaining urban live music ecologies

Explanatory factors of university student participation in flamenco

“… Given all of the above, we must also consider what role different cultural policies should play and whether they should support demand or supply even though, according to Taylor (2016), the majority of the population are not usually committed to culture, and remembering that those who are tend to be of a certain educational and socioeconomic level. Some authors refer to live music as ecological, which allows us to distinguish not only its economic value, but also social and cultural value, and believe that live music should be supported through cultural policies that aim to improve cultural vitality in a particular city (Hoeven & Hitters, 2019). Cultural policies are a reality as indeed is state involvement in their funding, as reflected by Palma & Aguado (2011).…”

The spatial value of live music: Performing, (re)developing and narrating urban spaces

“…The spatial value of live music is understood as an addition to three other values that have been defined in earlier research ( Van der Hoeven & Hitters, 2019 ): 1) social value refers to live music’s contribution to social relationships (i.e., social capital), the public engagement of live music organisations (e.g., charity, volunteering and activities for the neighbourhood) and a sense of identity; 2) cultural value is connected to musical creativity, talent development and cultural vibrancy in cities; and 3) economic value concerns financial benefits and the relevance of live music for cities in monetary terms (e.g., increased tourism and job growth).…”

“…Venues in landmark buildings designed by ‘starchitects’ further bolster these economic goals ( Van Schaik, 2018 ). Along with this physical music infrastructure, festivals are increasingly used as temporary events to stimulate sociocultural, economic and spatial objectives ( Nunes, 2019 , Van der Hoeven and Hitters, 2019 ). Venues and festivals are therefore often located strategically in derelict neighbourhoods, with the aim being to make them more attractive to future investors and developers.…”

“…This reminds us that recorded and live music have different geographies, with the latter literally requiring more space in cities: “[It] is in urban areas that the live music industry has carved out its augmented geography over the past decade.” New venues, like flagship music arenas, are testament to live music’s value in urban development ( Kronenburg, 2019 ). Indeed, the post-industrial city has become a stage for a growing number of events that serve a wide range of goals, including urban branding and increasing cultural vibrancy ( Jakob, 2013 , Van der Hoeven and Hitters, 2019 , Wynn, 2015 ).…”

“…This enables readers to understand how the connections between musical performances and urban space develop and can be supported. While earlier studies have paid attention to the social, cultural and economic value of live music to cites ( Behr et al, 2016a , Van der Hoeven and Hitters, 2019 ), this project takes a different approach by examining the impact on the built environment in its own right. Our scope is limited to popular styles of live music in cities in order to improve the focus of the study.…”