L10 MUSIC FESTIVAL AND MANAGEMENT

CULS5320B MUSIC INDUSTRY & PERFORMANCE CULTURE

DR ELLA LI MEI TING
Part 1

ON THE CONCEPT OF
MUSIC FESTIVAL
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Why Study Music Festivals?
Cultural Studies perspectives: reflecting and
shaping the cultural norms, values, and
practices of societies.

Sociology perspectives: social dynamics,

community formation, and collective
behaviour within these gatherings.

Management perspectives: Economics and

tourism development, sustainability of
festivals, evaluating their long-term economic
viability and the balance between cultural and
commercial interests.
Why Study Music Festivals?
Concept (vision & mission)
Budget Concerns - artist fees, venue rental
and permits, production fee (stage, sound,
lighting), security, promotion,
miscellaneous(insurance, utilities, etc)
Logistics - infrastructure setup,
transportation and accommodation, safety,
sustainability initiatives etc.
Line-ups
promotion – ticketing, social media
campaigns, collaborations, merchandise etc.
Why Study Music Festivals?
A growing interest exists in understanding the
political context of leisure and specifically
leisure as a context for fostering social
change.

leisure is not “innocent” or exempt from

relations of power but is connected to the
same social and political forces that shape
other aspects of social life (Wearing, 1998)

leisure is not merely a space in which

dominant social relations are reproduced, but
also that leisure may be a sphere of struggle.
Why Study Music Festivals?
Leisure as resistance

Building on feminist and Marxist traditions,

this work considers how leisure might be a
sphere where power “is not only acquired,
maintained, and reinforced, but also
potentially reduced or lost” (Shaw, 2001, p.
186).
individuals engaging in leisure practices that
challenge dominant expectations related to
their social position.
provide opportunities for individuals to resist
and rewrite the dominant cultural narratives
that shape their lives.
Why Study Music Festivals?
Leisure as social space

leisure might serve as a social space for

individuals to organize, discuss, identify with,
or otherwise engage with the civic and
political sphere of life
as a cultural medium that bridges the public
and private domains and allows individuals to
act in their social roles as citizens
leisure participation and the development of
civic-oriented attitudes and behaviors
leisure as civil disobedience
Why Study Music Festivals?
The potential role of leisure events as avenues for social change.
Characterized by their temporary, ritualistic, and culturally expressive
qualities, examples of leisure events include festivals, carnivals, parades,
theatres, spectacles, sporting events, and fairs.

As popular leisure pursuits, leisure events deserve attention simply for their
ubiquity on the cultural landscape. However, leisure events are also
fundamentally political as often these events express ideological conflicts,
favour specific social interests, and marginalize others (Jackson, 1988).

As such, leisure events can be investigated for how they impact relations of
power in broader culture.
Why Study Music Festivals?
Ritualistic and convening in specific bounded locations,
they are an ephemeral and liminal “time out of time”
infused with gaiety, conviviality, and cheerfulness

Festivals share many of these characteristics with other

leisure events, including carnivals, spectacles, parades,
theatre, sporting events, and fairs.

However, the lightheartedness of festivals distinguishes

them from the more sinister “spectacle” or the more
ribald “carnivalesque” leisure events. Festivals are
meant to be fun and joyous.
Part 2

THE CULTURAL POLITICS

OF MUSIC FESTIVAL
The cultural politics of
music festival
The cultural politics of music festivals is a
complex and multifaceted topic that
intersects with issues of identity,
power, and representation within the
broader context of cultural production
and consumption.
Spaces where various social, political,
and economic dynamics play out.
 Key Concepts & theorists
The Cultural Industry and Commodification (Adorno and Horkheimer)
– how they balance artistic integrity and commercial interests;
Habitus and Cultural Capital (Pierre Bourdieu) – how attendance at
certain music festivals can signal social status, belonging to a particular
cultural elite, and how festivals perpetuate or challenge social and cultural
distinctions;
Encoding/Decoding (Stuart Hall) – the active role of the festival audience
in generating meaning, emphasizing the diverse readings and experiences
that can emerge from a single cultural event.
Performativity (Judith Butler) – the performance of artists that activate
the performativity of audiences; as well as the social performance through
participating music festivals
The cultural politics of
music festival
Activates space of negotiation
the opportunity to negotiate a deal or
agreement between two people or parties

Culture is a place of interpretive struggle, an

experience that is lived, interpreted, and
ultimately defined, a place for negotiation. in
Stuart Hall’s discussion (1980), the site of
negotiation was a space of give and take
where intended meanings could be short-
circuited.
The cultural politics of
music festival
The representation of artists and genres: on-
stage, beyond the stage; lineup can reflect
broader cultural and industry biases
Festivals can either challenge or reinforce
dominant cultural narratives and power
structures, depending on whose voices are
amplified and whose are marginalized.
festivals can serve as platforms for
underrepresented artists and genres,
promoting cultural exchange and
understanding.
The cultural politics of
music festival
Music festivals often serve as platforms for
political expression and social activism,
reflecting and shaping societal movements.

Some festivals are explicitly organized around

political and social causes, providing spaces
for community building, education, and
activism. These events can foster a sense of
solidarity and collective action, using music and
culture as tools for social change.
The rise and fall of Woodstock
festival( )胡士托音樂節
Woodstock was the most famous of the 1960s
rock festivals. Its full name was The
Woodstock Music and Art Fair.

It took place on a farm property in Bethel,

New York, August 15–18, 1969. Woodstock
was organized by four inexperienced
promoters who managed to sign rock acts
that included Jimi Hendrix, Sly and the Family
Stone, the Who, and the Grateful Dead.

Reference: Woodstock | History, Location, & Facts | Britannica

The rise and fall of Woodstock
festival( )胡士托音樂節
Although a few tickets were sold, some 400,000
people showed up at Woodstock. Many
demanded free entry, which they got due to
virtually nonexistent security.
symbolic event on US counter-culture; the
Hippie Movement; the Vietnam War, Civil
Rights protests
the rise of a Bohemian culture that practised
free love, integrated drug use into its everyday
lifestyle, and generally rejected the norms and
values of traditional society.
Reference: Woodstock | History, Location, & Facts | Britannica
The rise and fall of Woodstock
festival( 胡士托音樂節
)
Commercialization: its later
commemorations and iterations, centers
on commercialization.
Idealization vs. Reality: the
romanticization of Woodstock that
overlooks the festival's logistical
nightmares.
Exclusionary Aspects: the predominantly
white and middle-class composition of
Woodstock's audience
Riots, deaths, sexual assault: Maybe Woodstock was always a nightmare
The rise and fall of Woodstock
festival( 胡士托音樂節
)
Woodstock's enduring legacy as a symbol of
the 1960s counterculture and its potential
for social activism is undisputed. Yet, the
criticisms and debates surrounding the festival
reflect the complexities of navigating
idealism and reality, the challenges of
maintaining integrity in the face of
commercialization, and the ongoing struggle
to achieve genuine inclusivity and equity.

Riots, deaths, sexual assault: Maybe Woodstock was always a nightmare

 Some cultural critics highlighting tokenism
within music festivals primarily focus on how
these events sometimes superficially address
diversity and inclusivity without fostering
genuine representation or equality.
 The Cultural Functions
of Music Festival
The tendency of the festival to “preach to the choir” places in question
the efficacy of the event as a vehicle for personal inspiration and
transformation. Effectively, it shifts the event toward a more retreatist
social position (Rojek, 1999) in the sense that it more likely serves as
an “alternative lifestyle gathering” (St. John, 1997) or a space for
those already committed to alternative values to celebrate and
reinforce their subcultural beliefs rather than a space to foster new
value commitments.

Sharpe, Erin K. “Festivals and Social Change: Intersections of Pleasure and Politics at a Community Music Festival.” Leisure Sciences 30.3 (2008): 217–234.
 further readings
Robinson, Roxy. Music Festivals and the Politics of Participation. Farnham, Surrey ;
Ashgate, 2015. Print.
Bennett, Andy, Jodie. Taylor, and Ian Woodward. The Festivalization of Culture.
London ; Routledge, 2016. Web.
張武宜 學習 玩 迷笛音樂節個案研究
, and Anthony Y. H. Fung. “ " ": = Learning to
’play’ : A Case Study of Midi Music Festival.” Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Chinese University
of Hong Kong (Hong Kong), 2013., 2013. Print.
Gibson, Chris et al. Music and Tourism : On the Road Again. Bristol, UK; Channel
View Publications, 2005. Print.
Gates, Charles Anthony, "The Rise and Fall of the Great Music Festivals and the
Hippie Culture of the 1960s: Monterey, Woodstock, and Altamont" (1990).
Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2308. https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/2308
 Dr LI Mei TING
Lecturer
email: meitingli@cuhk.edu.hk

THANK YOU! ofifice Room 311 Leung Kau Kui Building

Mr Haoqian Yu
CONTACT
Tutor
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