Living in music: The many paths to the possible and the inescapable form-of-life of independent musicians

Abstract

This study examines how independent musicians inhabit and persist in music as an inescapable form-of-life, shaping and sustaining themselves through creative engagement with the “possible.” Drawing on Vlad Glăveanu’s concept of the “possible” and Giorgio Agamben’s notion of “form-of-life,” we explore how music becomes more than a career for these artists—it forms the core of their existence, structuring identity, resilience, and purpose. Therefore, we aim to understand how tensions, restrictions, obstacles and other forms of semiotic mediation guide how a possible becomes “the” only possible for these musicians. Using a multiple case study design, we conducted semi-structured interviews and participant observations with seven independent musicians, each with over a decade of creative experience. Dialogical discourse analysis was employed to assess different forms of engagement with musical work. These themes illustrate how musicians sustain their practice not just economically but as an essential aspect of life. Our findings suggest that musicians inhabit music through multiple, interconnected dimensions, affirming it as an existential necessity. This study highlights the formation of the inescapable possibility of being a musician for our participants.