ABSTRACT
Identity, rather than being fixed and static, is a process of becoming, which is developed out of points of similarity and difference, involving both self-description and social ascription. This chapter considers popular music in relation to individual identity and music consumption, with the discussion split into three aspects of this. The first looks at the individual consumer, and the manner in which personal, or self-identity, can be expressed through the use of music consumption to indicate membership of constituencies based around age, class, gender, and ethnicity. Self-identity also involves situating the individual consumer in relation to competing discourses; for example, adherence to a musical genre can be used to distance oneself from the parent culture, community, and social authority. Second, there is popular music fandom, with particular reference to the ‘teenybopper’ fans of boy bands, using One Direction as a case study. Finally, I turn to modes of consumption: self-identity, along with fandom, can also be based on practices such as concert attendance, dancing, record collecting, and through participation in social networks sites and streaming services. Fans’ active interaction with performers has become more evident than ever: the rise of interactive media (e-mail, list servers, and the internet) has added a new dimension to fandom, aiding in the formation and maintenance of fan bases for performers and musical styles.
