Behind the Stage

Sammanfattning: Live music has recently been a popular topic of discussion as a consequence of COVID-19's influence and the exponential rise of digital alternatives to live music. Stockholm, as the third largest music exporter in the world, might be assumed to be culturally enriched with live music flourishing in its center; but if we dig further into the Stockholm live music industry by listening to those who make up its pillars, namely musicians, what will we find? This thesis investigates the live music industry in Stockholm through the eyes of musicians and live music industry professionals. Through qualitative research in the form of interviews with musicians and other industry professionals, we have gathered insights on the industry and ascertained several factors affecting the industry as a whole, as well as the musicians in it. The analysis has been structured with PESTLE as a framework in order to provide a wide scope of the whole industry. The analysis largely concludes that the supply of musicians exceeds the number of work opportunities, leading to low wages and unemployment in the industry. There has also been a drastic increase in the number of productions in Stockholm post-pandemic, despite consumer demand not returning to pre-pandemic levels. A general dissatisfaction amongst musicians over working conditions in the live music industry has been noted, along with a remarkable satisfaction over career choices despite the aforementioned dissatisfaction.