| Summary: | This thesis is about independent record shops. It is a consideration of the social functions these shops serve within popular music culture and the significance these shops have to the people involved. It highlights the personal interactions and relationships that arise between owners, staff, and customers, and the purposes the shops serve for these participants. I define the three major types of indie record shops—general, specialist, and second-hand/collectors' This thesis is based on in-depth interviews with owners, staff, and customers, as well as survey responses from customers of indie record shops that subscribe to certain music-themed internet groups. I have combined these sources of information with participant observation as both a member of staff and a customer to create a well-rounded account of the culture of indie record shops and how they come to mean something to those involved.
|
|---|
