Getting Signed

Record contracts have been the goal of aspiring musicians, but are they still important in the era of SoundCloud? Musicians in the United States still seem to think so, flocking to auditions for The Voice and Idol brands or paying to perform at record label showcases in the hopes of landing a deal. The belief that signing a record contract will almost infallibly lead to some measure of success the ideology of getting signed, as Arditi defines itis alive and well.

Though streaming, social media, and viral content have turned the recording industry upside down in one sense, the record contract and its mythos still persist. Getting Signed provides a critical analysis of musicians' contract aspirations as a cultural phenomenon that reproduces modes of power and economic exploitation, no matter how radical the route to contract. Working at the intersection of Marxist sociology, cultural sociology, critical theory, and media studies, Arditi unfolds how the ideology of getting signed penetrated an industry, created a mythos of guaranteed success, and persists in an era when power is being redefined in the light of digital technologies.

Explores how ideology motivates aspiring musicians to sign even unfavorable contracts and obscures the reality of record contracts Demonstrates how conventional paths to success continue to dominate the popular imagination, even in the face of potentially democratizing digital technologies Provides an ethnographic examination of US-based bands, band members, televisions shows like The Voice and American Idol, and contract showcases

Autorentext

David Arditi is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Texas at Arlington, USA, and author of iTake-Over: The Recording Industry in the Digital Era.

Zusammenfassung

"Getting Signed deserves to garner interest from researchers, music journalists, and artists alike. Furthermore, through its synthesis of theory and empirical evidence, Getting Signed is a useful text for scholars who are looking to tackle fundamental questions about the unequal relationships of power that lie behind cultural production." (Jabari Evans, Journal of Popular Music Studies, Vol. 35 (2), June, 2023)

"Getting Signed is a book that builds a powerful critique of one of the biggest and most influential music industries worldwide, unveiling how the ideological motive of getting signed brings individuals to sign their own exploitation in the promise of economic success. ... By providing a toolkit of concepts, theories, and empirical evidence, Getting Signed is an important contribution to tackle fundamental questions about the unequal relationships of power that lie behind many of our daily cultural consumptions." (Luca Carbone, New media & Society, June 7, 2022)

Inhalt

Chapter 1: Introduction.- Part I.- Chapter 2: Record Contracts: Ideology in Action.- Chapter 3: Copyright Enclosure.- Chapter 4: The Digital Turn: Music Business as Usual.- Chapter 5: On Competition in Music.- Part II.- Chapter 6: We're Getting the Band Back Together.- Chapter 7: The Voice: Popular Culture and the Perpetuation of Ideology.- Chapter 8: Conning the Dream.- Chapter 9: Conclusion.