From Battle of the Bands to the Big Leagues: How do live music venues structure local music scenes?

Abstract

This dissertation examines the role of live music venues in structuring local music scenes, using the city of Hamilton as case study. To explore this, I first develop a categorization scheme to distinguish “types” of venues to which individual establishments cluster into on the basis of their organizational characteristics. These venues types allow for claims to be made about the organizational structure of venues within the local scene. I then move forward to show that these venue types are better understood as organizational forms, by conducting a textual and visual analysis of the promotional data, which coincide with types of venue logics which inform promotional practices of each venue form. Finally, I examine the role of venues in contributing to gender inequality in the music scene, by looking at the types of bands that are booked to play in each venue form, taken into account not only gender composition but also the artist configuration (solo/band). Taken together this dissertation highlights the importance of venues as part of the social organization of any music scene over and above the social dynamics of artists and audiences.