When Breaking the Law Gets You the Job (Li & Ody-Brasier 2025) | ASQ FT50

Welcome to Revise and Resubmit! The podcast where we dive deep into cutting-edge academic research published in the world’s most prestigious business journals. Today, we’re exploring a study that flips conventional wisdom on its head.Think about this—what if breaking the law actually helped you land a job? Sounds absurd, right? But in the world of electronic dance music, that’s exactly what happens.In their paper, When Breaking the Law Gets You the Job: Evidence from the Electronic Dance Music Community, Xu Li and Amandine Ody-Brasier unravel a fascinating paradox. They show that DJs who illegally remix songs—creating “bootlegs”—often receive more performance opportunities than those who play by the rules. Why? Because their lawbreaking is seen as a service to the community, not as a selfish act.Using data from nearly 39,000 DJs across 97 countries over a decade, alongside an online experiment and interviews with industry insiders, this research reveals that the perception of intent is key. If bootlegging is seen as selfless, it earns support. If it looks self-serving, the opportunities disappear.Published in Administrative Science Quarterly, an FT50 journal—one of the world’s most prestigious business journals—this study challenges how we think about law, norms, and professional legitimacy.But here’s the real question: Could this pattern apply beyond music? Are there other industries where bending the rules signals dedication rather than deceit?A huge thank you to the authors, Xu Li and Amandine Ody-Brasier, and to SAGE Publications for bringing this research to light.If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe to Revise and Resubmit on Spotify and check out our YouTube channel, Weekend Researcher. We’re also available on Amazon Prime and Apple Podcasts.Until next time—keep questioning, keep learning, and keep revising!ReferenceLi, X., & Ody-Brasier, A. (2025). When Breaking the Law Gets You the Job: Evidence from the Electronic Dance Music Community. Administrative Science Quarterly, ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1177/00018392251320898Youtube Channel⁠https://www.youtube.com/@weekendresearcher⁠Support us on Patreonhttps://patreon.com/weekendresearcher