Approaches towards studying cultural industries and the analysis of their applicability within the reality of modern Russian culture

This article features an overview of the common approaches towards studying cultural industries in general and music industries in particular, while describing means of developing “research design” (choosing theoretical perspective, posing research question and selecting methodological toolset), which are currently quite prevalent in culture study and sociology.

The author examines the current main trends when it comes to researching cultural industries: the “cultural production perspective”, viewing cultural production as a combination of “creative clusters”, as well as an approach which sees collaborative networks as the primary actors in the cultural industry. The separately examined approaches towards studying cultural production in the music industry are as follows: examining the influence of market structure on consumer behavior, studying collaborative networks in music, studying the political dimension of music production, and finally communication between various levels of decision making within music industries. Also the article analyzes the most commonly used objects for criticism in a variety of theoretical-methodological approaches. The author evaluates the applicability of those methods utilized by sociology for studying musical and cultural production within the Russian music industry: social network analysis, qualitative and quantitative content-analysis, secondary analysis of statistical data, as well as in-depth and expert interview. Also the limitations of using the aforementioned methods when it comes to researching Russia’s musical-cultural industry are demonstrated.

The analysis is summed up with a conclusion on these methods being highly applicable in further academic research within the field in question. Given the macro-economic development of the field of producing and consuming music in Russia, together with the complete digitization of these processes, the author assumes that the research of cultural and music industries is a rather promising prospect. The rate at which Russian musical and other cultural industries are currently undergoing transformation lead us to the conclusion that this could be a potentially relevant line of study in the realm of journalism and Academia.

culture, cultural industry, cultural production, theory and methodology, mixed methods research, music industry

Ahn I., Yoon K. On the impact of digital music distribution. CESifo Economic Studies, 2009: 55 (2): 306–325.

Bassets K., Griffiths R., Smith I. Cultural industries, cultural clusters and the city: the example of natural history film-making in Bristol. Geoforum, 2002: 33 (2): 165–177.

Bekhuis H., Lubbers M., Ultee W. A Macro-Sociological Study into the Changes in the Popularity of Domestic, European, and American PopMusic in Western Countries. European Sociological Review, 2014: vol. 30: 2.

Bocullo D. European cinema on social media map: bridging cultural diversity and reaching audience in the era of digitalisation. Media transformations: vol. 12. Kaunas: Vytautas Magnus university, 2016.

Bourdieu P. The Field of Cultural Production, or: The Economic World Reversed. In: The Field of Cultural Production. Essays on Art and Literature. Cambridge: Polity Press, 1993.

Brandellero A.M.C., Pfeffer K.: Multiple and shifting geographies of world music production. Area, 2011: 43 (4): 495–505.

Cattani G., Ferriani S. A core/ periphery perspective on individual creative performance: Social networks and cinematic achievements in the Hollywood movie industry. Organization Science, 2008: 19 (6): 824–844.

Chun A. The Americanization of pop culture in Asia? Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, 2012: 13 (4): 495–506.

DiMaggio P. Classification in Art. American Sociological Review, 1987: vol. 52: 4.

DiMaggio P. Market structures, the creative process, and popular culture. Journal of Popular Culture, Special Section on Sociology and Popular Culture, 1977: vol. 11: 2.

Dimaggio P. Nonprofit organizations in the production and distribution of culture. In: The Nonprofit Sector: A Research Handbook Ed. by W.W. Powell. Yale University Press, 1987.

DiMaggio P., Hirsch P. Production Organizations in the Arts. American Behavioral Scientist, 1976: vol. 9: 1.

Dowd T.J. Structural power and the construction of markets: the case of rhythm and blues. Comparative Sociological Research, 2003: 21.

Duffy B.E., Poell T., Nieborg D.B. Platform Practices in the Cultural Industries: Creativity, Labor, and Citizenship. Social Media + Society. 2019: 1. DOI: 10.1177/2056305119879672

Egedy T., Kovács Z. Budapest: A great place for creative industry development? Urbani Izziv, 2010: vol. 21: 2.

Farkhatdinov N. Sociology of Arts without Art. Industrial Metaphor in Social Research on Arts. Sotsiologicheskoe obozreniye = Russian Sociological Review, 2008: vol. 7: 3: 55 – 69. URL: https://sociologica.hse.ru/data/2011/03/30/1211833414/7_3_4.pdf [accessed: 30.05.20] (In Russ.).

Florida R. The rise of the creative class and how it’s transforming work, leisure, community and everyday life. New York, Basic Books, 2002.

Foster P., Borgatti S.P., Jones C. Gatekeeper search and selection strategies: Relational and network governance in a cultural market. Poetics, 2011: vol. 39: 4: 247–265.

Global Music Report 2019. Created by IFPI. IFPI Official website. URL: https://www.ifpi. org/news/IFPI-GLOBAL-MUSIC-REPORT-2019&lang=en. [accessed: 31.07.2020].

Halpert L. Collaborative and Collective: Reflexive Coordination and the dynamics of Open Innovation in the digital industry clusters of the Paris Region. Urban Studies, 2012: vol. 49: 11.

Hansen K.H. Technology, Talent and Tolerance-The Geography of the Creative Class in Sweden. Rapporter och notiser, 2007: vol. 169.

Hesbacher P. Sound exposure in radio: The misleading nature of the station. Popular Music and Society, 1978: vol. 6: 2.

Hesmondhalgh D. Digital Sampling and Cultural Inequality. Social & Legal Studies, 2006: vol. 15 (1): 53–75. DOI: 10.1177/0964663906060973.

Hesmondhalgh D. Post-punk’s attempt to democratise the music industry: the success and failure of rough trade. Popular Music, 1997: vol. 16: 3: 255–274.

Hesmondhalgh D. The Creative Industries. London, Sage, 2012.

Hesmondhalgh D., Jones E., Rauh A. SoundCloud and Bandcamp as Alternative Music Platforms. Social Media + Society, 2019: 2. DOI: 10.1177/2056305119883429

Hesmondhalgh D., Meier L.M. What the digitalisation of music tells us about capitalism, culture and the power of the information technology sector. Information, Communication & Society, 2018: vol. 21: 11: 1555–1570.

Hirsch P. Processing fads and fashions: An organization-set analysis of cultural industry systems. American Journal of Sociology, 1972: 77 (4): 639–659.

Hitters E., van de Kamp M. Tune in, fade out: Music companies and the classification of domestic music products in the Netherlands. Poetics, 2010: 38.

Hoeven A., van der Janssen S., Driessen S. Articulations of Identity and Distinction: The Meanings of Language in Dutch Popular Music. Popular Music and Society, 2016: vol. 39: 1: 43–58. DOI: 10.1080/03007766.2015.1061344.

Iwabuchi K. Globalization, Digitalization, and Renationalization: Some Reflections from Japanese Cases. Situations, 2019: vol. 12: 1: 1–2.

Jones E. Platform DIY: Examining the impact of social media on cultural resistance in cont (Doctoral thesis). University of Leeds (Leeds, UK), 2018.

Juhász S., Tóth G., Lengyel B. Brokering the core and the periphery: Creative success and collaboration networks in the film industry. PLoS ONE, 2020: vol. 15: 2. DOI: 10.1371/journal. pone.0229436.

Kadushin C. Networks and Circles in the Production of Culture. American Behavioral Scientist, 1976: vol. 19: 6: 769–784

Lash S., Urry J. Theory, Culture and Society: Economies of signs and space. London, SAGE, 2002.

Lazareva O.V. Cultural Industries: Two Aspects of Comprehensions. Observatoriya kul’tury = Observatory of Culture, 2017: vol. 14: 6: 670–676. DOI: 10.25281/2072-3156-2017-14-6-670- 676 (In Russ.).

Leyshon A., Webb P., French S., Thrift N., Crewe L. On the reproduction of the musical economy after the Internet. Media, Culture & Society, 2005: vol. 27: 2: 177–209.

Lieb K.J. Gender, branding, and the modern music industry: The social construction of female popular music stars. London, Routledge, 2018.

Matthews J.T. Beyond ‘Collaborative Economy’ Discourse: Present, Past and Potential of Digital Intermediation Platforms. In: Collaborative Production in the Creative Industries. Ed. by J. Graham, A. Gandini. London, University of Westminster Press, 2017.

McAndrew S., Everett M. Music as Collective Invention: A Social Network Analysis of Composers. Cultural Sociology, 2015: vol. 9: 1: 56–80. DOI:10.1177/1749975514542486.

Nguyen G.D., Dejean S., Moreau F. On the complementarity between online and offline music consumption: the case of free streaming. Journal of Cultural Economics, 2014: vol. 38: 4.

Nieborg D., Poell T., Deuze M. The Platformization of Making Media. In: Making Media: Production, Practices, and Professions. Ed. by M. Deuze, M. Prenger. Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Press, 2019. DOI: 10.2307/j.ctvcj305r.8

Nyakudya F.W. Positive local externalities of immigration on entrepreneurship: Evidence from the UK East Midlands region. Local Economy, 2019: vol. 34 :3: 271–293.

Peterson R. Why 1955? Explaining the advent of rock music. Popular Music, 1990: vol. 9: 1: 97–116.

Peterson R., Berger D. Cycles in Symbol Production: The Case of Popular Music. American Sociological Review, 1975: vol. 40: 2.

Peterson R., Berger D. Entrepreneurship in Organizations: Evidence from the Popular Music Industry. Administrative Science Quarterly, 1971: vol. 16: 1. DOI: 10.2307/2391293

Peterson R.A. Revitalizing the culture concept. Annual review of sociology, 1979: vol. 5: 1: 137–166.

Piergiovanni R., Carree M.A., Santarelli E. Creative industries, new business formation, and regional economic growth. Small Business Economics, 2012: 39: 539–560. DOI: 10.1007/ s11187-011-9329-4

Pratt A.C. Cultural commodity chains, cultural clusters, or cultural production chains? Growth and change, 2008: vol. 39: 1: 95–103. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2257.2007.00406.x

Prior N. Critique and renewal in the sociology of music: Bourdieu and beyond. Cultural sociology, 2011: vol. 5: 1: 121–138.

Prokůpek M. Digitalization of Cultural and Creative Industries and Its Economic and Social Impact. In: Examining Cultural Perspectives in a Globalized World. IGI Global, 2020: 117–140.

Rauh A. «Under-the-radar» electronic dance musicians: Opportunities and challenges with digital communication technologies (Doctoral thesis). University of Leeds (Leeds, UK), 2018.

Rumbo J., Crane D., Kawashima N., Kawasaki K. Global Culture: Media, Arts, Policy, and Globalization. Contemporary Sociology, 2003: 32: 6. DOI: 10.2307/1556657

Rutten R., Gelissen J. Technology, talent, diversity and the wealth of European regions. European Planning Studies, 2008: vol. 16: 7: 985–1006.

Santoro M. Culture as (and after) production. Cultural Sociology, 2008: vol. 2: 1: 7–31.

Schäfer M. The Extension of Cultural Industries. In Bastard Culture! How User Participation Transforms Cultural Production. Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Press, 2011. DOI:10.2307/j. ctt46n23s.9

Schmutz V., Miller C. Production of Culture. In: Emerging Trends in the Social and Behavioral Sciences. Ed. by R. Scott, S. Kosslyn. Hoboken (N.J.), John Wiley and Sons, 2015.

Scott A.J. Entrepreneurship, innovation and industrial development: geography and the creative field revisited. Small business economics, 2006: vol. 26: 1: 1–24.

Venkatesh A., Meamber L.A. Arts and aesthetics: Marketing and cultural production. Marketing Theory, 2006: vol. 6: 1: 11 – 39. DOI: 10.1177/1470593106061261

Yang J., Černevičiūtė J. Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) and sustainable development: China’s cultural industries clusters. Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Center, 2017: vol. 5: 2: 231–242.

Yu W. Creative industries agglomeration and entrepreneurship in China: necessity or opportunity? Industry and Innovation, 2020: vol. 27: 4: 420–443.

Zheng J., Chan R. A property-led approach to cluster development: creative industry clusters and creative industry networks in Shanghai. The Town Planning Review, 2013: vol. 84: 5.