The October issue 2020 of the International Journal of Music Business Research (IJMBR) is a special issue on the “Festivalisation of Live Music” edited by Erik Hitters and Carsten Winter. After a introductory editorial, the first article by Jeff Apruzzese presents a close-up look into the practices of the music festival industry in the USA, by focusing on radius clauses, also known as exclusivity deals. Apruzzese draws up a compelling argument on how these clauses affect local venues and other organizers of live music, effectively obstructing their choice of bands to play for local audiences.
Erik Hitters & Marijn Mulder explore local policies on live music and festivals in their contribution “Live music ecologies and festivalization: the role of urban live music policies”. In particular, their focus is on how such policies have been subject to festivalization.
A special contribution is from renowned live music researcher Martin Cloonan, who looks back at fifteen years of active involvement in live music research in the UK. In “Trying to have an impact: Some confessions of a live music researcher” he mindfully reflects on the paradoxes of his role as an academic observer and analyst and the need for informed and impactful interventions in the business and policies of live music.
The special October issue rounds up with a book review by Daniel Nordgard on “Can Music Make You Sick? Measuring the price of musical ambition” by Sally A. Gross and George Musgrave.
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