The Cicvarićs as Pioneers of Cultural Entrepreneurship in Serbia
Ivana MedıćIn this article, I focus on the activities of the Cicvarićs, a notable Roma music family from the western Serbian town of Šabac. I begin by overviewing cultural entrepreneurship and its characteristics and then provide the context for a discussion of the Cicvarićs’ activities as regards the traditional role of Roma musicians in Serbia and the musical life of Šabac at the time. Following a discussion of their repertoire and the innovative business practices that they introduced, I conclude by highlighting the aspects of their work that can be assessed today as examples of cultural entrepreneurship. I conceptualize the Cicvarićs as pioneers of cultural entrepreneurship in Serbia, paying attention to the notions of supply and demand, economic development, and historical processes of producing, distributing, and consuming urban folk music in Serbia.