Publication Date
3-18-2025
Document Type
Working Paper
Advisor
Professor John Hall
Journal of Economic Literature Classification Codes
F65, J83, Z11
Key Words
Instinct of Workmanship, Institution of Ownership, Music Industry, Predatory Period, Social Hierarchies
Abstract
This inquiry seeks to establish that Thorstein Veblen’s understanding of institutions could be used to offer insights into social hierarchies found within the music industry. Institutions, as viewed by Veblen, are structures that are influenced by and extensions of habits that provide an understanding of human behavior. Society creates standards which determine the way that the population operates, setting levels of what is considered as correct and incorrect behaviors. Institutions have a way of altering the way society is governed, setting expectations and new mindsets of how people should interact with each other. Through the introduction of new technologies, these standards can also be broken and replaced with new and evolving institutions. This idea bleeds into the operations of other industries, such as the music industry, where norms influenced by old institutions set the tone for how artists, managers and employees work within the business. I work to inquire into the industry of music while using Veblen's perspective on institutions, as a way to rationalize the structure of social hierarchies within the industry. In addition, this inquiry seeks to explore the ways that music industry institutions have slowly been dismantled through new waves of technology.
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/43578
Citation Details
López, C.C.,"Social Hierarchies in the Music Industry and Thorstein Veblen's Understanding of Institutions".Portland State University Economics Working Papers 90. (18 March 2025) i + 15 pages.