Dr. Robin Kuchar

Robin completed his MA studies in Applied Cultural Science in early 2009 by finishing his thesis about Popular Music and Globalization.

In 2017, he completed his phd thesis about the development and transformation of DIY based music venues. Carrying out three case studies of DIY based music clubs in Hamburg-St. Pauli, the analysis focuses changing spatial strategies, identities and self-conceptions of the clubs within the spheres of local scenes, the city and the Music Industries. The related book 'Musikclubs zwischen Szene Stadt und Music Industries. Autonomie, Vereinnahmung, Abhängigkeit' was published in 2020.

Currently, Robin works as Post-Doc Researcher and Lecturer at Institute of Sociology and Cultural Organization. His main research interests are Culture and the City, DIY & Underground Scenes, Production of Culture, Music Industries, Livemusic & Music Venues and Cultural Participation.

He is co-series editor of 'Urban Music Studies', member of IASPM, KISMIF and co-initiator of the Urban Music Studies Scholars Network (www.urbanmusicstudies.org).

Apart from Academia, Robin worked as project manager for the ‚Hamburg Day of Music 2012‘ (NGO) and for the mission orientated research project ‘Who is Musicking in Hamburg?’ (2009), initiated by the municipality of Hamburg. For years, he was/ is organizing concerts, running a DIY Music Label and doing live-sound engineering.