To Örebro University

Recent research about independent record labels has focused on the organizational influence of music industry on the content of popular music. Concordantly, recent research about contemporary hipster culture has centered upon the influence companies exerted on the behavior of consumers who wanted to feel and be recognized as different individuals. Drawing on these two works and with reference to Marx’s concept of commodity fetishism, Adorno’s writings on fetish character of music and Bourdieu’s theory of class distinction, I will discuss about the role of record labels in creation and promotion processes of alternative music genres that are introduced to audiences as objects of desire and means of self-presentation. My research indicates that genre names have a direct effect on the way listeners perceive and appreciate certain popular music styles. In my presentation, I will talk about stories of two intentionally named genres -Krautrock and Intelligent Dance Music (IDM)-. In the German case of 70s, the name standardized and marginalized several progressive styles of a country with a slurry word, but bewilderingly, those styles caught more attention of Anglo-American audiences under one umbrella. On the other hand, in the British case of 90s, the name became notorious for attributing an adjective of flattery on a style and overlooking others, but the genre gained popularity in electronic music scenes of Britain and the US. In both cases, collaboration between record labels and media was crucial for success in publicity. In the former case, the main media tools were magazines and radio, and in the latter, use of Internet became effectual. Eventually, in 2000s, record labels were insistent on reviving those genres with those infamous names through effective use of social media when many albums were being reissued and new artists were springing up; a process that still continues. Interestingly enough, artists of both scenes rejected the terms to be used to define their music while they were gaining public and critical acclaim.