2nd Edition

Gender, Branding, and the Modern Music Industry The Social Construction of Female Popular Music Stars

By Kristin Lieb Copyright 2018
    294 Pages 5 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    294 Pages 5 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Gender, Branding, and the Modern Music Industry combines interview data with music industry professionals with theoretical frameworks from sociology, mass communication, and marketing to explain and explore the gender differences female artists experience.

    This book provides a rare lens on the rigid packaging process that transforms female artists of various genres into female pop stars. Stars—and the industry power brokers who make their fortunes—have learned to prioritize sexual attractiveness over talent as they fight a crowded field for movie deals, magazine covers, and fashion lines, let alone record deals. This focus on the female pop star’s body as her core asset has resigned many women to being "short term brands," positioned to earn as much money as possible before burning out or aging ungracefully. This book, which includes interview data from music industry insiders, explores the sociological forces that drive women into these tired representations, and the ramifications for the greater social world.

    Chapter 1 Critical Frameworks for Considering Pop Stars

    Chapter 2 Female Popular Music Stars as Brands

    Chapter 3 The Modern Music Industry

    Chapter 4 The Lifecycle for Female Popular Music Stars

    Chapter 5 The Lifecycle Model Continued

    Chapter 6 Theoretical Foundations for the Lifecycle

    Biography

    Kristin J. Lieb is an assistant professor of marketing communication at Emerson College, where she also teaches courses in the school's Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies minor. She writes about branding in various industries, and has worked as a freelance writer for Billboard and Rolling Stone, a researcher for Harvard Business School, and a marketing and business development executive for several music-related companies.