Independent Music Labels: Histories, Practices and Values

03-04.12.2020 | Lisbon | NOVA FCSH

Within the field of popular music studies, little attention has been given to the impacts of independent music labels outside the Anglo-Saxon context, particularly in the production, dissemination and consumption of music in semi-peripheral countries such as Portugal. On the other hand, when the scope of the reflection goes beyond the Anglo-Saxon context the study of major record companies has been privileged over small structures of local / national scope which operate independently from these large companies and/or media groups with a transnational reach. Starting from broader discussions about the relationship between the local and the global in music production, this colloquium proposes a discussion on the impact of independent music labels with a particular focus on the Portuguese context and/or in contexts that are similarly located outside the main production centers. We will take as a starting point some recognized (yet open to scrutiny) assumptions about independent labels in the field of music production: the dissemination and making available of local musics and artists in opposition to the hegemony of global (mostly Anglo-Saxon) artists and genres released by multinationals; the valuing of aesthetic and artistic dimensions in music making at the expense of its commercial potential; the forms of organization and work that are innovative and adaptable to the changing contexts in the record sector, particularly in the new millennium. This is an inter and multidisciplinary colloquium accepting proposals in disciplines such as musicology, ethnomusicology, sociology, anthropology and history, among others. We also hope to establish a dialogue between the academy and the record sector with the presence and participation of independent label managers.