ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how values and meaning are attributed to collections in the heritage practices of amateur and fan-based popular music museums and archives in the Netherlands. The institutional context for the preservation of popular music-related heritage in the Netherlands has changed dramatically in recent years. On the one hand, this is related to major cuts in government support for all kinds of culture-related initiatives. On the other, it reflects a shift in priorities and a redistribution of functions across the institutional landscape. The chapter also discusses the existing typologies of do-it-yourself (DIY) preservationism in the field of popular music, critically assessing their democratising potential by relating them to debates in media studies. One of the key challenges for DIY preservationists will be to find new ways and formats to engage with younger generations who do not share the personal memory of this popular music past, thus extending its value beyond the often autobiographical nature of collectors' endeavours.
