Umney, C (2017) Moral economy, intermediaries and intensified competition in the labour market for function musicians. Work, Employment and Society, 31 (5). pp. 834-850. ISSN 0950-0170
Abstract
This article examines the labour market for ‘function’ musicians in London. It shows how the market encompasses a chain of relationships between clients, intermediaries and musicians, considering how the idea of ‘moral economy’- a subject of revived interest in employment sociology - fits empirical reality. It shows that function musicians have created a strong moral economy regulating the distribution of opportunities and resources within bands. However, other actors in the chain, particularly agents, are able to impose intensified labour competition on bands. This competition leads trust relationships to fray and social expectations about the distribution of resources to weaken. These tensions are embodied in the role of the fixer; a musician who uneasily straddles market and moral domains.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2017, the Author(s). This is an author produced version of a paper published in Work, Employment and Society. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | booking agents, creative industries, freelancers, intermediaries, internet, labour competition, moral economy, musicians |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Business (Leeds) > Work and Employment Relation Division (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 06 Feb 2017 14:28 |
Last Modified: | 10 Oct 2017 14:00 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
Identification Number: | 10.1177/0950017017692510 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:111837 |