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This chapter is based on a qualitative interview study of the life worlds of ten women songwriters in Germany. It addresses the hypothesis that women songwriters, as part of the patriarchal structures of the music business, exist in a parallel society where they are underrepresented and confronted with gender-specific challenges that are often not perceived as such by their environment. The question of how the interviewees managed to gain a foothold in a male-dominated world is explored; the general and gender-specific challenges and stressors that come with the (musical) socialization and everyday life of songwriters are elaborated. Empowerment strategies are discussed and perspectives are presented that may contribute to a (structural) change and an improvement to the working and living conditions of songwriters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although heroin consumption has played a central role in various genres and cultures of popular music, the phenomenon of addiction among musicians is rarely discussed in popular music studies. Based on the example of former heroin-addicted musicians in Los Angeles, this article seeks to explore the self-concepts and self-perceptions of these musicians, as well as the impact of heroin addiction on their reputations and subsequent musical careers. Interpretive social research is combined with a narrative interview methodology to create a biographical approach that focuses on the reconstruction of the musicians' life stories. In the framework of theoretical approaches to addiction and selfconcept research, this paper outlines the points of orientation for a methodological procedure and legitimizes an ethnographic perspective on substance abuse and selfperception. Concluding on the basis of the presented findings, the study discusses the potential of (self-)narratives for further research in popular music studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]