New Zealand’s Pop Renaissance: A creative industry as ‘after neo-liberal’ social policy

Abstract

This thesis argues that the popular music policies of New Zealand's fifth Labour government can be understood as a form of 'after neo-liberal' social policy. In doing so, this thesis contributes to the literature on the state and popular music, work and entrepreneurship in the creative industries, and the sociology of cultural policy. On coming to power in 1999 Labour signalled both a renewed interest in supporting the arts and culture and a new enabling role for the state in the market economy. An explosion of national cultural production ensued. Popular music was at the forefront of this 'arts and cultural revival' as sales, airplay, and exports rose dramatically. This thesis investigates the macro-micro dynamics of this state-supported pop renaissance. At the macro-scale how Labour brought popular music into a strategic policy to address economic growth, employment, and national cultural identity is examined. How the state constituted an audience for Kiwi pop while simultaneously working to facilitate artists into global music markets through new institutional innovations is also explained. These policies illustrate emerging 'after neo-liberal' practices whereby the enabling state becomes another player in existing markets. At the micro-scale this state facilitation of pop production sees its agencies come to act as cultural intermediaries. This feature constructs a competitive game for pop producers who seek state support. Using Bourdieu's sociological concepts of fields and alternative forms of capital this thesis analyses how pop producing creative entrepreneurs - as entrepreneurs sans economic capital - use mostly non-market modes of exchange to construct the symbolic capital necessary to access state support. The 'after neo-liberal' state also seeks to repair the social dislocations of earlier neo-liberal reform. Using Bourdieu's concepts of new petit bourgeoisie and social trajectories it is argued Labour's music policies offer a way to include and provide meaning to an increasing number of potentially marginalised youthful agents and is thus homologous to the inclusionary pyramid of the earlier welfare state. Moreover it is argued music policy as social policy offers youthful creative entrepreneurs a belief that they may reconvert their alternative forms of capital - via the state - into an upward social trajectory