The Value of Authenticity in Contemporary Music Industry

This thesis explores how the concept of authenticity is crafted, performed, and interpreted within the contemporary music industry, considering the Instagram platform as the primary channel of interaction between emergent artists and active listeners. Drawing on affordances' theories and employing a qualitative methodology based on semi-structured interviews with both artists and listeners, the research investigates how Instagram's affordances, including its features, formats and types of content, facilitate or constrain authentic interactions within the digital music environment. The findings reveal that authenticity is not a fixed or inherent quality of an artwork, but rather a relational and co-constructed process, shaped by both artists and listeners and ultimately determined by characteristics of the platform. For artists, expressions of authenticity require a careful balance between personal expression and strategic practices, as they must continually craft and adapt their identity according to their own values, audience expectations, and Instagram's evolving affordances. Listeners, on the other hand, interpret authenticity through signs of spontaneity, perceived vulnerability, and the coherence of artists' identities over time. The research demonstrates that, rather than being passive observers, listeners are regularly and mindfully engaged with artists' online actions. Even though they are capable of understanding the challenges artists face, their expectations for authentic content remain unchanged. Both groups are highly aware of Instagram platform's dual nature: while it offers democratized access to visibility and connection with others, it also imposes market-oriented strategies, performative expectations, and algorithmic pressures. Through the lens of existing affordances' theories, the study reveals that artists navigate a delicate digital ground where Instagram serves both as a portfolio of their work and a marketplace. In this context, they must strategically integrate their creative voice within the platform's logics and affordances. Listeners' interactions, even when indirect, play a pivotal role in constructing and validating both perceived authenticity and artists' career, providing emotional support as well as measurable engagement. Therefore, the research frames authenticity as deeply intertwined with economic and relational values. Within the context of today's digital music industry, authenticity becomes a commodified quality that, although perceived as genuine, must be carefully curated to be rewarded by the platform and accepted by the audience. Overall, this thesis argues that authenticity on Instagram emerges from ever-evolving negotiations between realness and representation, spontaneity and visibility, and creativity and strategy. It contributes to broader discussions on authenticity in digital environments by showing how artists' practices and listeners' expectations intersect through platforms' affordances, shaping new forms of realness within the music industry.