Creative Labour

The theoretical issues raised across these various sources are investigated via empirical research carried out across three major contemporary media industries: television, recording and magazine publishing. This research draws on a number of methods:

semi-structured interviews with 60 personnel – mainly ‘creatives’ but also craft and technical workers, managers, marketing personnel and others who work with and alongside them.

participant observation

secondary sources, especially trade magazines associated with the three industries we have analysed.

textual analysis of the products that are produced by some of the creative worlds we studied, including the participant observation study.

it also seeks intermittently to understand the influence of the field of textual representations of work (drawing on the fine work of Matt Stahl) more generally by reference to films, television programmes and books about creative labour.