ABSTRACT
Self-organisation and co-location share a long history in the creative industries. In many of these industries, workers seek to work together and alongside each other in shared workspaces of various kinds. Yet, in the music industries, this practice is less established. This chapter discusses two (partly) self-organised initiatives of musicians in the Netherlands, examining the promises and challenges before, during, and potentially after the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings indicate that despite the potential for knowledge exchange and mutual support, most musicians valued their workspace mainly because it offered facilities (space and time to practise and perform). This was especially important during the pandemic, as it provided a daily goal and structure. As an organisational form in a post-pandemic world, this model could serve as a means to foster resilience especially for early career musicians, providing low-threshold access to essential resources (social, spatial, and symbolic), even during periods of drought.
