Socializing Professional Rejection in Artistic Labor Markets

• In Event: 228 - Section on Sociology of Culture Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 02. Creativity and Collaboration

Abstract

One characteristic of a career path in the arts is rejection. There is potential for artists’ work to be rejected by peers, critics, gatekeepers, clients, employers, and audiences. As artistic labor markets function as reputational labor markets rather than distributing opportunities on the basis of education, credentials, or experience, aspiring artists often learn occupational norms “on the job” or in while entering the labor market. This paper uses evidence from six month of field work at a professional organization for songwriters to examine how rejection is socialized in one artistic labor market. In the workshops that I observed, music industry gatekeepers publically listened to recordings of upwards of 60 songs presented by aspiring songwriters and announced whether they would “keep” the song for another listen or “pass” on the song. On average, 81% of the songs presented to publishers were rejected each week. In this context, dozens of aspiring songwriters are able to get feedback from industry gatekeepers and learn how to accept and respond to professional rejection. Songwriters received personal critiques when their songs were rejected, and the larger bureaucratic structure of the club led to an impersonal context within which rejection occurred. I find that successful occupational socialization leads songwriters to depersonalize rejection.

Author

• Rachel Elizabeth Skaggs, Vanderbilt University