Commercialization of Youth Subcultures

• The paper explores how alternative youth subcultures are commercialized.
• It discusses sociologists' focus on authorities repressing youthful rebellion versus mass media and consumer market appropriation.
• Condemnation by authorities made deviance alluring, while commercialization diluted youth culture's adversarial qualities.
• "Subcultural capital" explains both rebellion's economic value and co-option by consumer culture.
• Societal reactions like labeling create boundaries between deviance and normality, but commercialization blurs these boundaries.

Early Sociological Views on Youth

• In the 1950s, sociologists focused on growing concerns about young people and juvenile delinquency.
• Images of delinquency and rebellion were consumed by young people in movie theaters and elsewhere.
• Sociologists viewed juvenile delinquency as social disorganization within ethnic, urban, working-class cultures that had not embraced American values.
• Mass culture was seen as having a corrupting influence and disapproval by authorities was thought to enhance the attraction of deviance.
• Media portrayals of young women defying gender and sexuality norms contributed to carefree youthfulness.
• Media coverage of the Beats led to the "beatnik" subculture.
• Labeling theory influenced youth deviance studies in the 1960s.
• Critical sociologists did not examine the relationship between counterculture's evolution and entertainment media/consumer markets.
• Labeling theorists focused on repression by police, courts, schools, and hospitals.
• Stanley Cohen's study of mods and rockers in Britain treated media as an instrument of censorship, not understanding that societal reaction increased the counterculture's growth.
• Rebellion vs. repression paradigm blinded sociologists to future events and consumer stimulations.

Subcultural Capital

• New theories and methods are needed for studying youth culture and deviance due to media and markets achieving omnipresence in young people's lives.
• Youthful expressions of alienation and rebellion can be valuable commodities.
• Authoritarian institutions censor and discipline young people. At the same time, the entertainment industry profits from the youth demographic.
• Corporations align with music, fashion, images, and celebrities that appear authentic and cutting-edge, commercializing youth culture.
• Capitalism meets niche market demands through commodities to accumulate cultures and marginal subcultures.
• Yesterday's gatekeepers who identified fads have turned into cool hunters contracted by corporations for youth information.
• The economic value of youthful rebellion is determined by subcultural capital.
• It comes from Pierre Bourdieu, and Sara Thornton's work.
• In Thornton's study of British club cultures, subcultural capital is in-group hierarchies that distinguish high-status insiders from low status imposters.
• Authenticity and distance from mainstream culture ground claim to subcultural capital.
• Culture attempts to profit from capitalizing and marketing to a larger audience.
• Authenticity, rebellion, and coolness is converted to a valuable commodity.
• Consumers want to be first and versed.
• Subcultural capital is accumulated through style and consumption and discerning taste. Knowledge comes from any form of media, not mainstream or industry outlets.
• Authenticity resides on obscure knowledge, not hype.
• People blow their cover with effort.

Dynamics of Subcultural Capital

• Bourdieu theorized that cultural capital must appear innate or acquired mysteriously.
• Display perfect attention but seem effortless and independent.
• Value fluctuates wildly in short periods of time.
• It is in danger of liquidation.
• Scholars demonstrate boundaries between subculture and mass culture.
• Insiders get alienated.
• Their expressions are controlled by the mainstream audience they define themselves against.
• Capital is a scarce commodity that belongs to a minority.
• Media leaks the inside information to the majority.

Responses to Commercialization

• Consequences have been described as co-optation.
• Subculture is translated into what can be bought and becomes "frozen".
• Countercultural resistance was severely limited due to kinship with consumerism.
• There are claims that commodification has co-opted alternative styles.
• In examining how commercial extends that style to the market for consumers, Muggleton stated, that the option of adaptation is not subversive than the original.
• Arguments about co-option depend on the creative innovators.
• Commercialization and co-option are not its sociological truth.
• Insider and innovators are defending with inflation that result from exposure - accusing musicians of selling out the authenticity.
• Subculture can be defended or augmented claiming was there first.
• When styles and sounds are commerce, they loss authenticity and cease to be cool.
• It is more effective that labeling, which often cause panic.
• Corporate seem to take away rebellious culture because they profit from from the qualities.
• This reaction dissolves between deviant and normal.

San Diego Music Scene Study Methods

• The study discusses the commercialization process in relation to alternative rock subculture in San Diego, California
• Based of participant observation and interviews in 1995-1998.
• The ethics of the locals was autonomy and independence and authenticity.
• The scene subsisted of success bands, Nirvana and Pearl Jam, that got the attention to the commercial sector of the 1990s.
• Music companies signed band from the Pacific Northwest, Washington DC, Chicago, etc.
• Media speculates if it's the success to seattle grunge.

Commercialization of the Alternative

• At the end of 1991, Nirvana's Nevermind had move Michael Jackson to the top of list of record.
• With the hope to make over 500,000 album sold, the label promoted Nevermind in sold over 8 million.
• The start was sloppy, coarse music along with incoherent vocals recorded at a low budget.
• "Grunge" evolve from punk and metal and part of generation.
• Music was selling the new alternative on every platforms MTV, Newspaper, commercials, and music awards.
• Fashion Designers created grunge styles on the catwalks of Manhattan.
• Grunge was not an anti-fashion statement.
• Understand the Anti-commercial subculture.

Marketing to Generation X

• The advertising industry was a crossroad in the early 1990s.
• Companies had to adjust to the new demographic.
• Karen Ritchie announced Boombers as getting to old and that they could no longer afford to ignore the new young teens.
• X dislike hype.
• Present sincere products or organic/authentic.
• There products with images of authenticity.
• Wanted there subculture to be an against the main stream.

The search of the next Seattle

• Labels want to be more profitable.
• Independent Music Seminar helped.
• Teach control the product process and book there tour.
• Limited labels influence sponsors, but allowed to listen to the concerts.
• Interscope, Geffen and Atlantic Records are some of the main people to the deal.
• Hustwat grew frustrated that local band didn't listen to there advice.
• San Diego scenes could have good potential.

Defending Subcultural Capital

• As alternative rock the stone temple pilots sound so similar to band pearl jam.
• People thought they were an impostor and didn't want to represent the industry.
• An investment in capital was this community.
• When playing in San Diego an event made them hated, legend status.
• When commercial threat the originators.
• The stereotypes that would be new poseur, the woman who was in alternative rock at her station could see them easily.
• Medias attention had an impact on community.
• There expanded the community.

Deviance in Modern Culture

• Mainstream culture is saturated with deviance.
• Ideas thought to be once deviant, tattoo are now commonly accepted.
• Styles and subculture also spread form homosexuals and other forms.
• The Commercialization of youths present a different case with deviance.
• Youth identity are depending on there ability of there authorities.
• There for they defend there capital and now the grunge loses all credibility and we see process like "Next Seattle" and reactions.
• Societal reactions affect youth to be more hip and cool.
• As Daniel Bell quoted, everyone think outside the box.
• The problem is that it may not be identifying forms of deviance from what is normal.