Milan is trap. Musical geographies and forms of urban production

Abstract

This paper reports the transcription of a focus group, held via online video-conference on 22 May 2021. The discussion, moderated by Paolo Grassi, a post-doc fellow at the Polytechnic of Milan and local researcher for the European project Transgang, saw the participation of six young workers in the Milanese musical business. They are artists and singers, video makers and graphic designers, managers and producers who, although with different geographical backgrounds and personal and professional experiences, share a new, "alternative" perspective. This emerging perspective integrates the established dynamics of the Italian and Milanese record industry with a vision from below, within the physical and symbolic city, capable of formulating innovative descriptions of what can eventually be interpreted as a new form of production of urban space.