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A Subculture is defined by Hartley as being "a group of individuals who share particular interests, ideologies and practices," often in opposition to mainstream discourses at the time (Hartley, 2002, p. 220). In regards to virtual communities, subcultures can now be created and cultivated online, enabling users to define their identity through expression and behaviour in relation to fashion, lifestyle/s and musical taste/s. More often than not, these ‘taste cultures’ are distanced from mainstream society, yet they continue to proliferate via communication and interaction between users, despite geographic constraints (Thornton in Hartley, 2002, p. 221; Schau and Gilly, 2003, p. 385).
Throughout history, musical subcultures have continually evolved, with mods, rockers, punks, hippies, hip hop/urban/rappers, emo, indie, hardcore, glam rockers and goths all occupy a place within society. Characteristically, members prided themselves on their musical taste, often dressing to affiliate themselves with similar members, yet also maintaining a sense of individualism within this subculture (Kleine et al. in Schau and Gilly, 2003; Wikipedia, 2005, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_subcultures_in_the_20th_century). As the Internet dispersed throughout mainstream culture in the 1990s, so to did the establishment of musical subcultures online, allowing members to communicate freely with one another. Thus weblogs (or blogs) utilised this space, with instant communication devices such as laptops, mobile phones and iPods enabling increased interaction, seeing musical tastes being voiced in this online environment (Young, 2003, p. 50).
Today, musical subcultures are now experiencing networking on a global scale, particularly through networking interfaces such as MySpace. MySpace was created by Tom Anderson, with approximately 22 million people signed on to establish contacts with like-minded individuals as well as broadening their horizons (Dodero, 2005, http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/top/features/documents/04838542.asp).
Artists and bands are also members within these online conglomeration of tastes, and due to developments in mp3 technologies, can now post their music online to be heard by visitors to their webspace. A major success for this interface has been the ability for bands to develop a fan-base in several countries throughout the world other than their own. One such ‘success story’ is the Taste of Chaos Tour, which has toured throughout America and Europe and is now headed to Australia to satisfy punk/emo/hardcore communities. Thus, the barriers between artists and users have been broken down, with fans being able to post messages/contact them via email, and in most cases, receive a reply.
Street teams have also become particularly important in regards to increasing band awareness throughout society, where many artists ‘recruit’ participants to promote the band direct to its target audience, free of charge. An example of this is Australian Street Teams, a website and community designed to recruit punk/emo/metal ‘kids’ within such musical subcultures (Australian Street Teams, 2005, http://www.australianstreetteams.com/about.php).
With the increasing popularity of websites such as MySpace, advertisers are now quick to jump onboard, so as to extend their reach throughout such subcultures (Osgerby, 2004, p. 197). Despite this, musical subcultures continue to evolve and allow users to develop identities, where music is being interspersed throughout society. In the future, we will see increased web-broadcasts of exclusive ‘internet only’ performances, further acknowledging the importance of fans and fandom within the success of artists and music throughout the world. Also, these communities will filter down and influence other aspects of the music industry including media, promotions, booking, touring and distribution.
Australian Street Teams (2005) "About Us," retrieved October 20, 2005, from http://www.australianstreetteams.com/about.php
Dodero, C. (2005, July 22-28) "Lost in MySpace: Log on, Tune in, and Hook up with 22 Million People Online," The Boston Phoenix: News and Features, retrieved August 10, 2005, from http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/top/features/documents/04838542.asp
Hartley, J. (2002) Communication, Cultural and Media Studies: Key Concepts, (3rd ed.), New York: Routledge, ISBN 0415268893.
Osgerby, B. (2004) Youth Media, New York: Routledge, ISBN 0415238080.
Schau, H.J. and Gilly, M.C. (2003) "We Are What We Post? Self-Presentation in Personal Web Space", Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 385-414.
Wikipedia (2005) "History of Subcultures in the 20th Century," retrieved October 26, 2005, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_subcultures_in_the_20th_century
Young, T.E. Jr. (2003) "Blogs: Is the New Online Culture a Fad of the Future?," Knowledge Quest, vol. 31, no. 5, pp. 50-54.
Kirsty Knox 06:48, 28 Oct 2005 (EST)
