Full Description
Popular music is not simply a series of musicians, moments, genres or recordings. Audiences matter; and the most ardent audience members are the fans. To be a fan is to feel a connection with music. The study of fandom has begun to emerge as a vital strand of academic research, one that offers a fresh perspective on the nature of music culture.
Fan Identities and Practices in Context investigates fan identities and practices in different contexts and in relation to different bands and artists. Through a series of empirical case studies the book reflects a diverse array of objects and perspectives associated with this vibrant new field of study. Contributors examine how fans negotiate their identities and actively pursue their particular interests, touching on a range of issues including cultural capital, generational memory, gender, fan fiction and the use of new media. This book was originally published as two special issues of Popular Music and Society.
Contents
Introduction Part I: Identities 1. Directions in Music Fan Research: Undiscovered Territories and Hard Problems 2. A Long Strange Trip: The Continuing World of European Deadheads 3. "Anyone who Calls Muse a Twilight Band will be Shot on Sight": Music, Distinction, and the "Interloping Fan" in the Twilight Franchise 4. Diva Worship and the Sonic Search for Queer Utopia 5. Making Monsters: Lady Gaga, Fan Identification, and Social Media 6. "His Soul Was Wandering and Holy": Employing and Contesting Religious Terminology in Django Fandom 7. My Music, Not Yours: Ravings of a Rock-and-Roll Fanatic Part II: Fan Practices 8. Fan Practices 9. Autechre and Electronic Music Fandom: Performing Knowledge Online through Techno-Geek Discourses 10. New Economy of Fandom 11. "Bandom Ate My Face": The Collapse of the Fourth Wall in Online Fan Fiction 12. Filming Concerts for YouTube: Seeking Recognition in the Pursuit of Cultural Capital 13. Penfriendships, Exchange Economies, and "FBs": Take That Fans Networking before the Digital Revolution 14. Smells Like Focus Group Spirit? The Changing Nature of Pop Fandom and its Deployment as a Political Tool Conclusion
