‘From mosh pit to posh pit’: Festival imagery in the context of the boutique festival

Johansson, M. and Toraldo, M. L. (2017) ‘From mosh pit to posh pit’: Festival imagery in the context of the boutique festival. Culture and Organization, 23(3), pp. 220-237. (doi: 10.1080/14759551.2015.1032287)

Abstract

This paper addresses market-based cultural production in the context of the UK festival field, with a focus on the framing of the festival experience through anticipation. In particular, boutique festivals are discussed as examples of a contemporary cultural ‘product category’ which has emerged and proliferated in the last decade. Through discourse analysis of media representations of boutique festivals, we situate the boutique festival in a broader sociocultural discourse of agency and choice, which makes it meaningful and desirable, and outline the type of consumer it is meant to attract. For the contemporary consumer, the boutique festival is presented as an anticipated experience based on countercultural festival imagery, while simultaneously framing cultural participation through consumption. The paper contributes to a wider debate on the construction of the consumer in the cultural economy.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Johansson, Dr Marjana
• Authors: Johansson, M., and Toraldo, M. L.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School > Management
• Journal Name: Culture and Organization
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• ISSN: 1475-9551
• ISSN (Online): 1477-2760
• Published Online: 24 April 2015
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2015 Taylor & Francis
• First Published: First published in Culture and Organization 23(3):220-237
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher