Labels

"This is an important book for all of those interested in the micro-social worlds of independent music production. Through talking at length with many key figures involved in independent music labels in various locations across the globe, Bartmanski and Woodward get to the heart of what it means to be ‘independent’ from the point of view of those who live and breathe this ethos every day in their professional and creative lives. - Andy Bennett, Griffith University, Australia

A crucial book in any reflection on the freedom of the creative process. It is vital for those seeking to understand the importance of independence as an existential category in late modernity’s cultural processes. This book's writing is remarkable as it sits simultaneously within research canon and that of music lovers. - Paula Guerra, University of Porto, Portugal

In Labels, a worthy successor to Vinyl, Bartmanski and Woodward demonstrate just how far discussions of creativity, markets and cities have come in just 20 years. The bookmoves nimbly between an account of ‘independent’ music labels and their differentiation from the ‘mainstream.’ For me, the most refreshing aspect of Bartmanski’s and Woodward’s argument is the invocation of Sennett’s The Craftsman. Like Sennett, the authors propose making is as important as consuming, perfectionism and functionality can be tempered with respect for constraint and contingency, and cities and their spaces may just be where we (re)discover post-fordist or post-industrial forms of ‘cooperation’. - Professor Eduardo de la Fuente, Honorary Fellow, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong, Australia

Not only a detailed study of today’s independent music recording scenes, but also a compelling and accessible account of contemporary creativity, freedom and self-expression, Labels will appeal as much to music aficionados as to social scientists. It is as rich, diverse and fascinating as the cultural worlds it evokes. - David Inglis, University of Helsinki, Finland"