She/her
Working title of PhD: Violence Against Women in the Music Industry – How do fans react to accusations of violence against women by their musical heroes?
Full time / Year Commenced: 2022
PhD Supervisors: Dr Susan Batchelor & Prof. Fergus McNeill (Glasgow)
Synopsis:
I am interested in the attitudes of fans to accusations of violence against women (VAW) being made against musicians. VAW in the music industry is an increasingly growing field, in the wake of the #MeToo movement many accusations came to light, as an avid consumer of music I am aware of the obstacles facing women who wish to work in or around the industry and even the problems that come with just entering a fanbase.
The main research question I hope to tackle is to gain insight from music fans as to how they deal with accusations of VAW by musicians, can they separate the art from the artist, is the myth of the musician enough to shroud the acts they stand accused of? The sample will be made up of UK based fans of the musicians in question. I aim to have a wide range of ages and sexes to allow for more diverse discussions with participants. Opportunity and snowball sampling will be used. Routes of access to fans: advertisements in local record stores, university vinyl + music appreciation groups, reaching out through social media forums.
A qualitative research methodology will be used to gain in-depth information and to allow a focus on the individual, their beliefs, ideals, and perceptions. The hope is to use semi structured interviews or focus groups which will allow the participants more ability to lead but without the worry of straying off topic.
