Sowing the Seeds of Change: assessing the transformative potential of niche initiatives in a music ecosystem

Abstract

In this paper, we develop and empirically pilot a new framework to map and assess the transformative potential toward a desired future of niche initiatives in the Dutch music ecosystem: Seeds of Change. Therefore, we combine the so-called Seeds of Good Anthropocenes (SoGA) approach with leverage point and amplification theory as well as our inductively developed concept of impact strategies in an attempt to determine their transformative potential. Our research question therefore is: how can we assess the transformative potential of seeds in the Dutch music ecosystem? We collected 56 individual seeds, and found eight categories of desirable futures, ranging from artistic to societal scenarios, and eight impact strategies to attain these futures, ranging from capacity building to innovation strategies. We determined the leverage points and found that 11 seeds aim to intervene at the deepest level of the system, the Intent level. Last, we looked into the amplification processes, and found 15 Amplifying Beyond strategies that aim to change values and beliefs and create awareness around positive futures. Ultimately, we found a set of four seeds that we consider having a high transformative potential toward a more equitable, resilient, and sustainable future.