SUBMITTED BY NIKHIL LUNIA.

PGDM (MARKETING) 2018-20.

ROLL: 201832072, SECTION-F.

BEES SAAL BAAD: MAKE A BILLION $$

 COUNTERCULTURE:

The dictionary meaning of ‘counterculture’ is a way of life and set of

attitudes opposed to or at variance with the prevailing social norm.

A ‘counterculture’ refers to a movement that is in opposition to mainstream

(or popular) culture. Counterculture is often expressed through protests,
the rejection of an old way of doing things in favour of new methods, and,
in extreme scenarios, the creation of a divergent culture from the culture in
place.

Prominent examples of countercultures in Europe and North America

include Romanticism (1790-1840), Bohemianism (1850-1910), Beat
Generation (1944-1964), Hippie Subculture (1964-1974) and Punk
Subculture (1970’s & 1980’s).

 COUNTERCULTURE IN THE USA (1964-1972):

Unconventional or psychedelic dress; political activism; public protests;

campus uprisings; pacifist then loud, defiant music; drugs; communitarian
experiments and sexual liberation were hallmarks of the sixties
counterculture in the United States of America — most of whose members
were young, white and middle-class.
In the United States, the counterculture of the 1960s became identified
with the rejection of conventional social norms of the 1950s.
Widespread tensions developed in the 1960s in American society that
tended to flow along the war in Vietnam, race relations, sexual mores,
women's rights, traditional modes of authority, and a materialist
interpretation of the American Dream. White, middle class youth—who
made up the bulk of the counterculture in western countries—had
sufficient leisure time, thanks to widespread economic prosperity, to turn
their attention to social issues such as support for civil rights, women's
rights, and gay rights movements, and the rejection of the Vietnam War.
The counterculture also had access to a media which was eager to present
their concerns to a wider public. Demonstrations for social justice created
far-reaching changes affecting many aspects of society.
‘Hippies’, (a term given by a local newspaper columnist Mr. Herb Caen)
became the largest countercultural group in the United States. They
adopted new styles of dress, experimented with psychedelic drugs, lived
communally and developed a vibrant music scene. Some hippies formed
communes (Drop City, The Ranch) to live as far outside of the established
system as possible. Also, new concepts like giving children of the commune
extensive freedoms known as ‘children’s rights’ also came into existence.
Rejection of mainstream culture was best embodied in the new genres of
psychedelic rock music, pop-art and new explorations in spirituality.
Musicians who exemplified this era in the United States included The
Beatles, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, The Grateful Dread, The Rolling Stones
etc. Sentiments and popular sayings of the period were expressed in song
lyrics by these musicians.
New forms of musical presentation also played a key role in spreading the
counterculture, with large outdoor rock festivals being the most
noteworthy. The Woodstock Music Festival held in Bethel, New York from
15th to 18th August, 1969 - with 32 of rock's and psychedelic rock’s most
popular musicians performing live outdoors during the sometimes rainy
weekend to an audience of half a million people. It is widely regarded as a
pivotal moment in popular music history.

 COUNTERCULTURE IN THE AMERICAN SOCIETY AFTER 1972:

The counterculture has been argued to have diminished from the American
Society in the early 1970’s. Two reasons have been attributed for this.
First, a decline of idealism and hedonism occurred as many notable
counterculture figures died, the rest settled into mainstream society and
started their own families.
Second, it has been suggested that the most popular of its political goals—
civil rights, civil liberties, gender equality, environmentalism, and the end
of the Vietnam War—were accomplished (to at least some degree); and
also that its most popular social attributes—particularly a ‘live and let live’
mentality in personal lifestyles were co-opted by mainstream society.
To conclude, the counterculture was largely absorbed by the mainstream,
leaving a lasting impact on philosophy, morality, music, art, alternative
health and diet, lifestyle and fashion.

 BUSINESS IN COUNTERCULTURE CONTEXT THAT COULD HAVE

MADE ME A BILLIONAIRE IN TWENTY YEARS:
Since the counterculture age in the United States was the age of
psychedelic rock music and hundreds of artists practicing the same
evolved during the period, I would have opened an all in one music
recording studio, which would have been specifically for the psychedelic
rock music genre.
The studio would not only provide a space for recording such music but
also sell the required instruments for recording rock music such as
electric guitars and drums to musicians and other groups. Using my
existing skills and acquired skills, I would try to gain monopoly over the
business and carter to the needs of the singers, hippies and other
groups.
I would have deployed the initial profits to purchase a big stadium
wherein I could bring all the musicians, singers and other groups
together by virtue of a ticketing system and conduct regular concerts.
As the genre of rock music was prevalent in the United States in the
form of Jazz Rock, Roots Rock, Glam Rock, Soft Rock, Hard Rock,
Heavy Metal, Christian Rock etc. even after the end of counterculture, I
do not think my business would become obsolete with the efflux of time.
My profits would have thus multiplied over the time and I would have
simultaneously invested in the other corporate giants commemorating
in the United States such as Starbucks, Walmart etc. and gained
extensively from my investments in the next twenty years.
Using these business practices in the context of counterculture in the
United States, I would have ended being a billionaire in the next twenty
years.