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| author |
Olivia Martin
| | title |
Woodstock and Altamont Were Not Counterculture: Capitalism Within the Music Industry
| | abstract |
Woodstock Ventures capitalized on the idea of Woodstock's euphoric effect and created misconceptions about the music festival to ensure future generations would associate it positively, which has led future music festivals to try to recapture Woodstock's essence. To question Woodstock's legend, I mainly utilize archival sources and other supporting texts such as books and other news articles, as well as interviewing staff at the Bethel Woods Center for the Art. To gain an understanding of the evolution of music festivals, I attended the music festival Camp Flog Gnaw, which highlighted that the over-commodification of music festivals obstructs the experience and community that music organically promotes. If Woodstock were a charity event, then the festival would have been in line with the counterculture's ideology; however, since the tickets originally had a price tag, that signifies that it is not totally in line with a culture against capitalism. Instead, Woodstock Ventures should have taken more inspiration from Monterey Pop '67 if they wanted Woodstock to be a part of the 1960s counterculture. I argue that Altamont and Woodstock appeared to be counterculture from an outside perspective, but at their core, the two concerts were capitalistic ventures for commodifying the euphoric feeling found at Woodstock.
| | school |
The College of Liberal Arts, Drew University
| | degree |
B.A. (2024)
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| advisor |
Karen Pechilis
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| full text | OMartin.pdf |
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