Abstract

The paper discusses the methodological issues that arise in surveys of the musical profession. As part of a project implemented by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation, within the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan "Greece 2.0" and funded by the European Union - NextGenerationEU, a survey investigating social cohesion and labour precarity in the cultural and creative industries, including musicians, has been designed and is currently underway (for more details on the project, see https://creativelabour.gr/).

In particular, the issues discussed pertain to surveys on musical labour that employ quantitative methods. The pursuit of standardization, as implied by the collection of quantitative data, is accompanied by the production of observable and measurable indicators, which are necessary for the operationalization of complex concepts in empirical research. In this pursuit, however, the heterogeneity and wide variation in the conditions and working relationships of musicians present a number of challenges. The aim of this paper is to discuss some of these challenges.