Doing Ethos-Work: Exploring Group Ethos Among Indie Musicians

Abstract

Utilizing the perspectives of Goffman, Aristotle and Burke this study investigated the concepts of ethos and group ethos in three case studies of indie music artists as discursive performances of character in action through discourse. Through discourse analysis, seven primary value domains were established to better understand the range of topics and discourses used by these artists to manifest the virtues and ethics of the group and its members. The study also shows how these artists are mobilizing these moral discourses functionally to form, reproduce and manage their group ethos.