Why Athens? Investigations into the site of an American music revolution

What If Hewlett and Packard Had Started a Band Instead? An Examination of a Music Scene as Economic Cluster

“…This situation supports Scott's (1999Scott's ( , p. 1975 observation that a music scene may be "sustained by educational and training institutions that focus on local, agglomeration-specific needs" and is not without precedent. Jipson's (1994) analysis of the commercially and critically successful Athens, Georgia music scene of the late 1970s and 1980s also emphasized the University of Georgia's art program as an important structural element. Before that, the British Invasion of the 1960s saw bands like the Beatles, The Who, Rolling Stones, and The Kinks populated by art students (Kitts, 2008).…”

“…Placing music scenes in this framework of competition yields mixed results. Jipson's (1994) structural analysis of Athens' prolific music scene points to there being no competition amongst firms. When asked if the Denton's music scene was competitive, 61% of scene participants confirmed that it wasn't while 39% replied that it was.…”

“…Denton's music scene is not without a competitive nature, but it is overwhelmingly cooperative. Using Porter's theoretical framework, it could be argued that this is a trait of a cluster that isn't advanced, but if one looks to the arguably more successful cluster in Athens, Georgia, the same emphasis on cooperation over competition is present (Jipson, 1994). Examination of additional music scenes -and other types of cultural scenes -within Porter's (2000) economic cluster framework is needed to better understand the competition dynamic.…”

“…Analysis of the fertile music scene in Athens, Georgia during the late 1970s and 1980s (which spawned bands such as the B-52's and REM) offers further itemizing of music scene components and how they may operate in a manner evocative of economic clustering. Jipson (1994) details the core components of Athens' scene and notes it offers a density of potential audience members and performers, a low cost of living, several places to perform with lax booking policies including a plethora of house parties, a recording studio, a well-respected art department attracting a continual supply of students turned musicians focused on creative innovation, and a geographically and socially tight-knit community of scene participants. In addition, Jipson (1994) stresses there was a lack of competition amongst bands, and a decided bent towards having fun while playing over achieving technical proficiency.…”

“…Jipson (1994) details the core components of Athens' scene and notes it offers a density of potential audience members and performers, a low cost of living, several places to perform with lax booking policies including a plethora of house parties, a recording studio, a well-respected art department attracting a continual supply of students turned musicians focused on creative innovation, and a geographically and socially tight-knit community of scene participants. In addition, Jipson (1994) stresses there was a lack of competition amongst bands, and a decided bent towards having fun while playing over achieving technical proficiency. Florida and Jackson (2010) consider the history of music scenes in the United States and detail the development of smaller, "independent" (or "indie") music scenes in the 1980s located outside of the "major centers" typically thought of for cultural production.…”