Musicians as an expanding class of precariat

Precarity is a novel concept that characterizes individuals working without insurance and job security. The primary focus of this research is the process of precarization experienced by those who have received professional music education with the expectation of employment security, either in the public or private sector. In this qualitative study employing a case study design, the working conditions of 10 musicians in the Antalya case were examined. Through content analysis applied to the data collected from the musicians, three main themes emerged: Struggle for Existence, Devaluation of Cultural Capital, and Erosion of Musician Identity. Subsequently, these three main themes were reduced to and theorized under a single concept, namely, 'Music Labor.' The analyses reveal that individuals with professional music education are increasingly becoming part of the expanding precariat class.