Ethnographic Methods and Ethics for Online Cultures of Popular Music

Scholars with expertise in specific traditions increasingly find that cultural practices are mediated by online communication tools. Research on musicians and creativity is also progressively focused on the savoir faire necessary to have an active presence on social media and to distribute musical outputs via streaming. In addition, the pandemic has forced many ethnographers and researchers of popular music to migrate their projects to online settings and conduct research remotely via social media and streaming platforms. Livestreamed performances are now commonplace too. Dance memes, and viral videos highlight the centrality of music cultures in the development of online social life. If music is increasingly distributed, consumed and experienced online, what does that mean for the study of popular music in its digital context? How can scholars address these technological developments? This chapter provides a quick guide to design and conduct mixed-methods digital ethnography for popular music and online musical cultures.