Exploring Rock Music Influence Between and Among Indepedent and Major Record Label Bands.

Rock music exerts significant influence upon society, but who is influencing rock music? This paper is guided by the assumption that the rock music industry can be dichotomized into distinct categories that dictate the aesthetic quality, production, and distribution of rock bands and their music: bands that work under major record labels and bands that work under independent record labels. Using UCINET, I examine the network of musical influence between and among 152 independent label bands and 102 major label bands. Results indicate that there are highly influential bands from both independent and major labels. Major label bands, however, appear to influence each other more strongly than independent bands. Additionally, a significant proportion of indie label bands seem to depend more on the influence of major label bands. A brief discussion of the results and suggestions for future studies are included. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]