Research Article

Hoping for the Best, Preparing for the Worst: A Sociological Study on Being a Musician in Turkey

Number: Özel Sayı 1 / Supplement 1 September 11, 2020
  • Uğur Zeynep Güven *
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Hoping for the Best, Preparing for the Worst: A Sociological Study on Being a Musician in Turkey

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the socio-economic status, behavioral patterns and cultural constituents of being a musician in Turkey. The main objective is thus to unveil various different aspects of how musicianship is structured, expressed and perceived in Turkey. This research employs semi-structured in-depth interviews with 12 educated and professional Turkish musicians of different genres, which are grouped under the categories of serious and popular music. The main findings put forth that musicians, as artists, seem a bit unsure about the occupational prestige of their job. Lack of interest in serious music, inclination towards more trendy and ready-to-consume genres, interventions of new media technologies, trying to maintain a professional artistic network and to meet the demands of the music market while trying to stay creative and authentic, together with job insecurity and income instability are reported among the major difficulties that musicians face today. Engaging in free-lance work is also deemed an inevitable dimension of their job. Improvements in the management of musicians and the flourishing of innovative performance ideas came to the forefront as promising developments. Moreover, even though musicians share many behavioral patterns with other professionals, being patient, disciplinary, cooperative and hard-working, were listed among the necessities for musicians’ career success.

Keywords

References

  1. Adorno, T.W. (1994). Introduction à la sociologie de la musique. Geneve: Contrechamps.
  2. Adorno, T.W., & Horkheimer, M. (1991). The culture industry. London: Routledge.
  3. Attali, J. (1989). Noise. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
  4. Becker, H. (1997). Art worlds. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  5. Bourdieu, P. (1984). Distinction: A social critique of the judgment of taste. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
  6. Bourdieu, P. (1990). The logic of practice. Cambridge: Stanford University Press.
  7. Bernard, H.R. (2006). Research methods in anthropology: Qualitative and quantitative methods. Oxford: Altamira Press.
  8. Cahn, W. L. (1992). Authority and motivation in the symphony orchestra: a symphony musician’s point of view. Contemporary Music Review, 7(1), 27—38.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Sociology

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Uğur Zeynep Güven * This is me
0000-0002-6948-2277
Türkiye

Publication Date

September 11, 2020

Submission Date

November 21, 2019

Acceptance Date

March 9, 2020

Published in Issue

Year 2020 Number: Özel Sayı 1 / Supplement 1

APA
Güven, U. Z. (2020). Hoping for the Best, Preparing for the Worst: A Sociological Study on Being a Musician in Turkey. Journal of Economy Culture and Society, Özel Sayı 1 / Supplement 1, 139-155. https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS2019-0105
AMA
1.Güven UZ. Hoping for the Best, Preparing for the Worst: A Sociological Study on Being a Musician in Turkey. Journal of Economy Culture and Society. 2020;(Özel Sayı 1 / Supplement 1):139-155. doi:10.26650/JECS2019-0105
Chicago
Güven, Uğur Zeynep. 2020. “Hoping for the Best, Preparing for the Worst: A Sociological Study on Being a Musician in Turkey”. Journal of Economy Culture and Society, no. Özel Sayı 1 / Supplement 1: 139-55. https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS2019-0105.
EndNote
Güven UZ (September 1, 2020) Hoping for the Best, Preparing for the Worst: A Sociological Study on Being a Musician in Turkey. Journal of Economy Culture and Society Özel Sayı 1 / Supplement 1 139–155.
IEEE
[1]U. Z. Güven, “Hoping for the Best, Preparing for the Worst: A Sociological Study on Being a Musician in Turkey”, Journal of Economy Culture and Society, no. Özel Sayı 1 / Supplement 1, pp. 139–155, Sept. 2020, doi: 10.26650/JECS2019-0105.
ISNAD
Güven, Uğur Zeynep. “Hoping for the Best, Preparing for the Worst: A Sociological Study on Being a Musician in Turkey”. Journal of Economy Culture and Society. Özel Sayı 1 / Supplement 1 (September 1, 2020): 139-155. https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS2019-0105.
JAMA
1.Güven UZ. Hoping for the Best, Preparing for the Worst: A Sociological Study on Being a Musician in Turkey. Journal of Economy Culture and Society. 2020;:139–155.
MLA
Güven, Uğur Zeynep. “Hoping for the Best, Preparing for the Worst: A Sociological Study on Being a Musician in Turkey”. Journal of Economy Culture and Society, no. Özel Sayı 1 / Supplement 1, Sept. 2020, pp. 139-55, doi:10.26650/JECS2019-0105.
Vancouver
1.Uğur Zeynep Güven. Hoping for the Best, Preparing for the Worst: A Sociological Study on Being a Musician in Turkey. Journal of Economy Culture and Society. 2020 Sep. 1;(Özel Sayı 1 / Supplement 1):139-55. doi:10.26650/JECS2019-0105