Qu, S, Hesmondhalgh, D orcid.org/0000-0001-5940-9191 and Xiao, J (2021) Music streaming platforms and self-releasing musicians: the case of China. Information, Communication & Society. pp. 1-17. ISSN 1369-118X
Abstract
A major development in the music industries in recent years has been the rise of ‘unsigned’ or ‘self-releasing’ musicians (sometimes problematically called ‘DIY musicians’ or ‘independent musicians’) who upload music directly to music streaming platforms (MSPs). This article examines the distinctive way in which Chinese MSPs have sought to incorporate such self-releasing musicians into their platform eco-systems and what it tells us about the ways in which digital platforms commodify cultural expression. We show that a remarkable new system has developed in China, based on evolving dynamics of platform power and state-business relations, and very high levels of concentration and integration. Yet the work of independent, self-releasing musicians is playing a much bigger part in the Chinese system than in other parts of the world, allowing them to reach audiences in ways that were not previously possible. Drawing on critical studies of digital platforms and of the historical development of the music industries, we show that this apparent democratisation also represents an incorporation and commodification of activity that would often previously have taken place beyond the music industries, in ways that place constraints on the cultural autonomy of self-releasing musicians.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. |
Keywords: | Chinese music industries; music streaming platforms; musical labour; digitalisation of music; self-releasing musicians |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Media & Communication (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 15 Sep 2021 10:09 |
Last Modified: | 21 Sep 2021 09:14 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | Routledge |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/1369118x.2021.1971280 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:178154 |