Following our discussion in class (Contemporary Feminist Theories, MALS 72200) around around the NYT report on Ryan Adams I had gone to the reddit Indie music page (r/indieheads) to gauge some of the reaction and see if this could be considered a safe space. I am what most would consider a ‘lurker’ on this page, I frequent it for music news and new music but have never seriously engaged in the community. However, while not overtly looking for a FOS to use in my project, through the lens of our class I found it to be an interesting community that reflects the diversity of its participants and whose moderators appear to foster inclusion and community.
However as I monitored the activity on the page I found that as the online news cycle continued that the conversation became less referential on the state of feminism within and the influence of sexism on the music industry more generally. I also found that general activity slowed and that the conversation became almost exclusively about new music releases and general industry news. In an effort to continue some of the interesting conversations I had first found in r/indieheads I shifted my attention to Okayplayer.com. Okayplayer brings the music community and actual artist pages together within a unified forum serving as a hub for direct interaction with artists. The site is also home to interesting discussions on art, politics, culture and reflections on the state of the music industry. The site also serves as a record label which produces live events and showcase for the work of its founders. I feel that this site, through its increased activity and more overtly political focus, will allow me to complete a more compelling online ethnography.
