Music scenes and cultural ecosystems – Alternative practices between ‘official policy recognition’ and ‘post-pandemic austerity’

Abstract

Gentrification, COVID-19 and cultural policy – these are external influence and changing socio-spatial conditions that increasingly impact and challenge ways of doing culture among scenes and DIY cultures. Questions of how to explain impacts of external influence and reflections about the significance of cultural policy within this realm have become increasingly relevant – especially during and after the pandemic. This article examines these questions at two different levels. In the first part, a theoretical examination will question a stronger focus on external influence in scene-related research by discussing the concept of cultural ecosystems. In the second part, a critical review of cultural policy support for music venues tries to conclude on the relationship between local music scenes and policy and how an ecological perspective might be understood as the ‘official’ discovery of alternative music practices by cultural policymakers and a step towards more inclusive cultural and urban planning.