The creative city’s swan song? The individualisation of the music scene in Bologna, UNESCO City of Music

Sabrina Pedrini, Massimo Giovanardi and Raffaele Corrado
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Sabrina Pedrini: University of Bologna, Italy
Massimo Giovanardi: University of Bologna, Italy
Raffaele Corrado: University of Bologna, Italy

Urban Studies, 2025, vol. 62, issue 4, 628-646

Abstract: This paper extends the debate on medium-sized cities as active designers of place-specific neoliberal identities by reporting relevant findings from Bologna, European Capital of Culture in 2000 and a UNESCO City of Music since 2006. The study identifies the formal relationships of collaboration among local musicians as a relevant proxy to discuss the individualisation of the pop-rock music scene and its variations between 1978 and 2019. For this purpose, formal Social Network Analysis is combined with semi-structured interview analysis and archival research. The findings reveal decreased levels of social cohesion among artists and establishes a link between growing individualisation in the local music scene and an increasing tourist-orientation in the city.

Keywords: cultural industries; music; neoliberal city; social network analysis; urban cultural policies; 文化产业; 音ä¹; 新自由主义城市; 社会网络分æž; 城市文化政策 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:62:y:2025:i:4:p:628-646

DOI: 10.1177/00420980241257791

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