Music sustainability: Strategies and interventions

Abstract

This chapter critically examines the range of practical strategies that have been used to support the sustainability of music genres to date. These initiatives are grouped into five key areas, corresponding to the five domains of music sustainability presented in the first chapter: systems of learning music, musicians and communities, contexts and constructs, infrastructure and regulations, and media and the music industry. A separate section is devoted to documentation, a key area of concern to music sustainability. By surveying these practical initiatives, this chapter aims to identify their strengths and weaknesses, as well as possible deficiencies in current understanding and approaches to supporting the sustainable future of music genres. It examines the motivations of these strategies and intervention efforts, and reflects on how they intersect with wider cultural maintenance strategies.