The constitution of an 'alternative' music culture in French rock music, 1981-2001
The constitution of an 'alternative' music culture in French rock music, 1981-2001
Since popular music has become an industry, the notion of 'authenticity' has played a role in shaping a cultural identity of 'resistance' to commercial products. This thesis focuses on French rock music as a product conveying a cultural identity, and examines its constitution or invention as 'authentic' by looking at the interconnectedness of artists, music producers, the media, the state and the audience. In the early 1980s in France, French rock music developed in parallel to the setting-up of 'independent' record labels, which attempted to produce music autonomously from powerful companies. This material determinant, and the cultural identity derived therefrom, is known as 'alternative'. Its paradox lies in the desire to represent a form of opposition to the contemporary conditions of production, in a music product in fact reliant on them.
Assessing the rarity of academic studies on French popular music, Chapter One establishes the theoretical framework within which the concepts of 'authenticity' and 'resistance' are studied. Following the pluridisciplinary method of Cultural Studies, it examines the historical, political and economic background to the evolution of French popular music, and underlines the role of national traditions, such as republicanism, in shaping the concept of 'dissidence'. Chapter Two analyses the industrial and state determinants that contribute to the production of French rock music. With case studies of record labels and artists' interviews, this chapter argues that the production of distribution of an 'alternative' music culture maps conflicting zones, and is relative to external pressures. The fact that the French Ministry of Culture promotes its rock music also raises the debate on 'cooption', as it appears that the state sanctions a discourse of 'resistance'.
University of Southampton
Lebrun, Barbara
0b2aa597-2ffd-4234-a719-f93a8d3d7dc0
2003
Lebrun, Barbara
0b2aa597-2ffd-4234-a719-f93a8d3d7dc0
Lebrun, Barbara
(2003)
The constitution of an 'alternative' music culture in French rock music, 1981-2001.
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
Since popular music has become an industry, the notion of 'authenticity' has played a role in shaping a cultural identity of 'resistance' to commercial products. This thesis focuses on French rock music as a product conveying a cultural identity, and examines its constitution or invention as 'authentic' by looking at the interconnectedness of artists, music producers, the media, the state and the audience. In the early 1980s in France, French rock music developed in parallel to the setting-up of 'independent' record labels, which attempted to produce music autonomously from powerful companies. This material determinant, and the cultural identity derived therefrom, is known as 'alternative'. Its paradox lies in the desire to represent a form of opposition to the contemporary conditions of production, in a music product in fact reliant on them.
Assessing the rarity of academic studies on French popular music, Chapter One establishes the theoretical framework within which the concepts of 'authenticity' and 'resistance' are studied. Following the pluridisciplinary method of Cultural Studies, it examines the historical, political and economic background to the evolution of French popular music, and underlines the role of national traditions, such as republicanism, in shaping the concept of 'dissidence'. Chapter Two analyses the industrial and state determinants that contribute to the production of French rock music. With case studies of record labels and artists' interviews, this chapter argues that the production of distribution of an 'alternative' music culture maps conflicting zones, and is relative to external pressures. The fact that the French Ministry of Culture promotes its rock music also raises the debate on 'cooption', as it appears that the state sanctions a discourse of 'resistance'.
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Published date: 2003
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Local EPrints ID: 464920
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/464920
PURE UUID: f6add1b6-bc71-42e5-8574-69590b26a9d3
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Date deposited: 05 Jul 2022 00:11
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 19:49
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Author:
Barbara Lebrun
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