Chameleon identity of rock music. Careers, employability, and DIY in Portugal

Resumo

We know that currently, time is liquid and contemporary society is constantly changing. What is new today, tomorrow will cease to be, and it is up to us as a society to develop the ability to adapt to all these transformations that occur at all levels of our social life. In this sense, the recent field of the so-called creative industries has also undergone several transformations, especially with regard to music and the different ways in which it is interpreted and socially perceived by us. If, once, recording a record was the culmination of a lot of effort and hard work of a band or performer, nowadays with the technological evolution there are a lot of artists who can do it without leaving their home. And consequently, these transformations bring with them new ways of making music, as well as new roles for artists. However, will this adaptation to new social, economic, cultural and technological contexts be an easy task? And in what way(s) do musicians or performers experience this need for transition and adaptation? Also in Portugal, artists face all these issues and changes in the music field. So, they need to find strategies that help them to develop a chameleon identity necessary to provide continuity to their professional careers in the contemporary and challenging music industry. In this paper the methodology used is based on a documentary analysis (and consequent categorical content analysis) of different media and authors based on a collection of secondary and primary information - analysis of first-hand interviews.