Everyone Loves Live Music

"In Everyone Loves Live Music, Fabian Holt takes us through transformations in musical performance culture that explain how live music became the wildly popular industry it is today--and what these changes mean for fans. Holt looks at two realms of live music subject to the same commercializing trends: rock clubs, a feature of everyday life in major American and European cities and blowout musical festivals, venues for over-the-top experiences. As both clubs and festivals are being bought up and managed by a shrinking number of corporate entities such as Live Nation, they are becoming increasingly homogenous, showcasing a narrow roster of mostly Anglophone musicians. While many of the clubs and festivals Holt studies began as highly local scenes, they have fallen prey to media conglomerates, affecting the social worlds not only of fans, but of the cities and neighborhoods that are home to these musical cultures. As a result, Holt shows, our social worlds are transforming as particular forms of music, place, lifestyle, and leisure come to dominate our cultural lives"--