The Entrepreneurial (Straight) Edge: How Participation in DIY Music Cultures Translates to Work and Careers

Only recently have researchers begun thoroughly examining the role of youth music cultures and subcultures in participants’ ‘adult’ lives, suggesting that participation does not end with an abrupt transition to adulthood. Significantly, how subcultural experience translates into work skills and job opportunities needs further investigation. Based upon interviews and participant observation with older straight edgers – clean-living punks associated with the hardcore music scene – over the course of five years, this article examines subcultural entrepreneurs, in particular straight edgers, who have used DIY experiences to start businesses or advance careers. I first examine how involvement in DIY scenes can influence choice of career; many participants chose work reflective of their DIY values and/or created their own career. Next, I discuss how participants’ DIY dispositions influence their work, including tolerance for risk, confidence, self-reliance, and adaptability. I then demonstrate how participants translate scene experience into useful and marketable skills, including management, organization, marketing, and job-specific proficiencies.