IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/woemps/v38y2024i6p1569-1590.html

Live Performers’ Experiences of Precarity and Recognition during COVID-19 and Beyond

Author

Listed:
  • Philip Hancock

    (University of Essex, UK)

  • Melissa Tyler

    (University of Essex, UK)

Abstract

COVID-19 devastated the ability of self-employed and freelance live performers working in the UK’s live entertainment industries to sustain a living in an already precarious sector of employment. It also exposed the inadequacies of existing ways of conceptualising precarity in allowing a complete understanding of performers’ experiences of precarious employment, particularly during such a crisis. Combining research into precarity, recognition theory and qualitative data on how such performers experienced and responded to the pandemic, this article identifies two forms of precarity they experienced: socioeconomic and recognitive. In doing so, it contributes to the sociology of work by demonstrating how these two modes of precarity generated considerable operational and existential challenges for performers while extending the conceptualisation of precarity in such a way as to offer a more nuanced understanding of its impact, not only on the livelihoods of those experiencing it but also on their work identities and sense of self.

Suggested Citation

  • Philip Hancock & Melissa Tyler, 2024. "Live Performers’ Experiences of Precarity and Recognition during COVID-19 and Beyond," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 38(6), pages 1569-1590, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:38:y:2024:i:6:p:1569-1590
    DOI: 10.1177/09500170231218677
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09500170231218677
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/09500170231218677?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Davide Però, 2020. "Indie Unions, Organizing and Labour Renewal: Learning from Precarious Migrant Workers," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 34(5), pages 900-918, October.
    2. Allyson Stokes, 2021. "Masters of None? How Cultural Workers Use Reframing to Achieve Legitimacy in Portfolio Careers," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 35(2), pages 350-368, April.
    3. Robin Steedman & Taylor Brydges, 2023. "Hustling in the creative industries: Narratives and work practices of female filmmakers and fashion designers," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3), pages 793-809, May.
    4. David Chafe & Lisa Kaida, 2020. "Harmonic Dissonance: Coping with Employment Precarity among Professional Musicians in St John’s, Canada," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 34(3), pages 407-423, June.
    5. Wen‐Jui Han & Jake Hart, 2021. "Job precarity and economic prospects during the COVID‐19 public health crisis," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 102(5), pages 2394-2411, September.
    6. Gabriele Fassauer & Ronald Hartz, 2016. "Stories of Adoration and Agony: The Entanglement of Struggles for Recognition, Emotions and Institutional Work," Schmalenbach Business Review, Springer;Schmalenbach-Gesellschaft, vol. 17(2), pages 173-193, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Cara Reed & Helen C Williams & Katrina Pritchard, 2025. "Young is Fun: Examining the Inter-Relations of Play and Age at Work," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 39(5), pages 1225-1246, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Huang, Jiangrui, 2025. "Executive risk appetite, investment efficiency, and financial misallocation in film and television enterprises," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 86(PF).
    2. Verna Alcalde‐González & Ana Gálvez‐Mozo & Alan Valenzuela‐Bustos, 2024. "Social movement unionism in Spain's feminized precarious service sector: Criticism, cooperation and competition," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 62(1), pages 154-173, March.
    3. Lorenzo Frangi & Anthony C Masi & Bénédicte Poirier, 2023. "From Unwoven Societal Relationships to a Broad-Based Movement? Union Power in Societal Networks in Quebec (Canada)," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 37(5), pages 1377-1394, October.
    4. Alexander Opoku & Jacob Nunoo & Raymond Elikplim Kofinti, 2024. "Working but hungry: precarious employment and household food insecurity in Ghana," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 71(4), pages 875-916, December.
    5. Andrea Borello, 2025. "Structural Unfairness or Disrespect and Misrecognition? Theorising the Pathway Between Feelings of Injustice and Collective Mobilisation Among Precarious Migrant Workers," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 63(3), pages 413-426, September.
    6. Anna‐Lena Nadler & Elif Naz Kayran, 2026. "Job Precarity and Attitudes Towards Labour Unions: The Mitigating Role of Immigrant Background," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 64(1), pages 182-193, March.
    7. Saerom Han, 2023. "Mobilizing within and beyond the Labor Union: A Case of Precarious Workers’ Collective Actions in North Africa," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 76(4), pages 674-696, August.
    8. Arjan Keizer & Mat Johnson & Trine P Larsen & Bjarke Refslund & Damian Grimshaw, 2024. "Unions and precarious work: How power resources shape diverse strategies and outcomes," European Journal of Industrial Relations, , vol. 30(4), pages 383-402, December.
    9. Joyce Jiang & Marek Korczynski, 2024. "The Role of Community Organisations in the Collective Mobilisation of Migrant Workers: The Importance of a ‘Community’-Oriented Perspective," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 38(2), pages 339-357, April.
    10. Verdin, Rachel & O'Reilly, Jacqueline, 2021. "A gender agenda for the future of work in a digital age of pandemics: Jobs, skills and contracts," WSI Studies 24, The Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI), Hans Böckler Foundation.
    11. Muchen Luo & Yimin Wu, 2022. "Data-Driven Evaluation and Optimisation of Livelihood Improvement Efficiency," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-24, July.
    12. Marelby Amado Mateus & Alfredo Guzmán Rincón & Merlin Patricia Grueso Hinestroza, 2024. "Predictive Variables of Organisational Performance in Creative Industry Companies from the Perspective of Managers: Experiences in SMEs," Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economies, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, vol. 33(3), pages 485-516, August.
    13. Giorgos Gouzoulis & Panagiotis (Takis) Iliopoulos & Giorgos Galanis, 2023. "Financialisation, Underemployment, & the Disconnected Greek Capitalism," Working Papers 112, Queen Mary, University of London, School of Business and Management, Centre for Globalisation Research.
    14. Pier Luigi Sacco & Piotr Bialowolski & Dorota Weziak-Bialowolska, 2025. "Culture and creativity, skills building, and growth: what have we missed?," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-15, December.
    15. Luke Strongman, 2016. "The Magic Jacket: Recognition and Organizational Psychology," International Journal of Psychological Studies, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 9(1), pages 1-33, March.
    16. Alanna Stuart & Kim de Laat, 2025. "Bearing Psychic Weight and Accountability: Navigating Racism and Microaggressions in Creative Work," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 39(2), pages 361-379, April.
    17. Ana Alacovska & Trine Bille, 2021. "A Heterodox Re-Reading of Creative Work: The Diverse Economies of Danish Visual Artists," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 35(6), pages 1053-1072, December.
    18. Gabriella Cioce & Ian Clark & James Hunter, 2022. "How does informalisation encourage or inhibit collective action by migrant workers? A comparative analysis of logistics warehouses in Italy and hand car washes in Britain," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(2), pages 126-141, March.
    19. Lorenzo Frangi & Sinisa Hadziabdic & Anthony C. Masi, 2022. "In the interest of everyone? Support for social movement unionism among union officials in Quebec (Canada)," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(5), pages 446-465, September.
    20. Bojovic, Neva & Geiger, Susi, 2023. "Epistemic and institutional recognition work in changing conditions of social visibility: Anosmia's journey from the shadows to the spotlight," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 338(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:38:y:2024:i:6:p:1569-1590. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.britsoc.co.uk/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.