The Ties Among the Notes: The Social Capital of Jazz Musicians in Three Metro Areas

Abstract

Previous work shows that social capital matters for careers of creative workers, leading to jobs and bolstered income. The authors focus here on factors that may facilitate various types of social capital possessed by jazz musicians and on how the options of building connections may differ for peripheral versus dominant musicians. Among other things, the authors find that both general education and formal music training promote formal social capital but constrain the share of local musicians known; meanwhile, generalism fosters both the share and diversity of local musicians known. Only a few options benefit peripheral musicians, namely union membership and having an agent.