Popular Music Ethnographies

An ethnographic approach to global pop music studies.

This edited collection offers evocative ways into an international selection of popular music, from the Ecuadorian indie scene to Chinese rock. In exploring the experiences of musicians, fans, industry professionals, and academics, the rich complexity of popular music is brought to life through ethnography as an immersive approach to both undertaking and communicating research.

Experimenting with ethnography through the joys and tribulations of musical production, fandom, and scholarship, the contributors critically consider what it means to be a popular music ethnographer and what it means to take an ethnographic approach to studying popular music.

In addition to the critical essays, shorter vignettes are provided by musicians, venue owners, music writers, live music photographers, and fans. Altogether, the book explores the practices, places, and identities behind the music.