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: Social Cohesion and Solidarity in Bands -- Chapter 7: The Voice: Popular Culture and the Perpetuation of Ideology -- Chapter 8: Conning the Dream: Musical Showcase as Confidence Game -- Chapter 9: Conclusion.
Summary:
"Record contracts have long 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. "The ideology of getting signed"--the belief that signing a record contract will almost infallibly lead to some measure of success--is alive and well, even as streaming, social media, and viral content have turned the recording industry upside down. 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."--Publisher's description.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.