The process of entrepreneurship in the creative industries : the case of Glasgow's music industry

• Main Author: McFarlane, Julie
• Published: University of Strathclyde 2013
• Subjects: 658.4
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.576452

This thesis examines the entrepreneurial process in the context of the creative economy in the UK. It takes the music industry in Glasgow as its exemplar, drawing upon primary evidence to provide an empirical account of i) how the creative industry context influences the three stages of the entrepreneurial process (i.e. how entrepreneurs identify opportunities, acquire resources and manage their ventures) and ii) the transition of the individual from musician to entrepreneur. Welter (2011) and Zahra and Wright's (2011) contextualised view of entrepreneurship was the justification for including context in the study of process, while Baron (2008) and Moroz and Hindle (2012) provided the framework which was used to approach the process itself. The study assumes that Sarasvathy's (2001) causal and effectual logics drive the process at the level of the agent. The study takes an interpretivistic approach to data collection and analysis. Empirical data were collected via in-depth, semi-st ructured interviews with 15 music-entrepreneurs working within Glasgow's independent rock music sector, and with 11 representatives from public and private support agencies and 7 industry experts. Hence, the study is embedded within a unique creative and entrepreurial context, with multiple perspectives provided by the 33 respondents. The findings suggest that entrepreneurship in the music industry is expressed in a series of acts (projects), and that the entrepreneurial process is ongoing, with each act informing how the next is undertaken. At each stage, the entrepreneurial process is impacted by agency and context or both. The results suggest that causal logic inspires the initial search, recognition (following a systematic search or a chance encounter) inspires the fit between the individual and the idea and finally, effectuation logic underpins the exploitation stage and enables entrepreneurs to work within their given set of means. The findings also indicate the co identity transition process from being a musician to becoming an entrepreneur. The conclusions drawn from the study are placed within the context of the wider debate about creative entrepreneurship. They illustrate how both agency and context influence the entrepreneurial process, and contribute to our overall understanding of the creative-entrepreneur's move from art to commerce.