We are pleased to host the Inter-Asia Popular Music Studies Group (IAPMS) Online Workshop vol.8. To participate in this online event, please register by filling out the form with your name and email address. The event information will be sent to your email after the registration. A reminder email will also be sent two day before as well as one hour before the event.

Registration form: https://forms.gle/6xi6ZR9uTGHgFFCw8

The event will be held on 10 June (Thu): 8:00-10:00pm (Korea/Japan) / 7:00-9:00 pm (China)  

(Please use the time zone converter to calculate the event time in your location: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/)

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Music Streaming Platforms and Self-Releasing Musicians in China
IAPMS online workshop vol.8

Name:  Shuwen QU
Affiliation: Jinan University
Moderator: Jian XIAO

10 June (Thu): 8:00-10:00 (Korea/Japan) / 7:00-9:00 (China)  

Biography: Qu Shuwen is the Associate Professor in the School of Journalism and Communication at the Jinan University. She has a Ph.D. in Cultural Studies from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her research interests include cultural studies, popular music, music technology and communication. Now she is working on the research projects of the platformization of the music industry and its impacts on musical experiences. Her contacts: Qu_sw@sz.jnu.edu.cn, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Qu_Shuwen2.

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). What’s unique about self-releasing in China is that Chinese MSPs have sought to incorporate such self-releasing musicians into their platform eco-systems, which is not the case in the west. This talk, first traces the evolution of ‘indie discourse’ in China so as to clarify its meaning in streaming time, that is, the celebration of an entrepreneurial and copyright-oriented ethos, which becomes the ideological foundation of self-releasing services. Then, the discussion analyzes why and how the self-releasing has been incorporated into MSPs as core assets, and to what extent cultural autonomy of self-releasing services is affected by platform mechanisms.