The next normal: Chinese indie music in a post-COVID China
Date
2021
Authors
Gu, X.
Domer, N.
O'Connor, J.
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Journal article
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Cultural Trends, 2021; 30(1):63-74
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Abstract
This article will discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the Chinese independent music scene, based on live interviews with musicians, venue owners, labels and others in the Chinese music industry. We begin by looking at the immediate impact of Covid-19 and the shift to on-line live streaming. This is discussed in more detail in terms of a possible expansion of the audience beyond the small niche of the Chinese ‘livehouse’ scene. Though there are gains we argue that it will be difficult for the indie scene to take advantage of these, and that the power of the big tech platforms is being used to extract value with no concerns for nurturing the indie music scene that produces new music. The paper then looks at the position of the indie scene within the wider configuration of the cultural industries in China, which are dominated by state-controlled company networks and by local government control of urban public space. The paper suggests that the rapid closure of the live music scene represented a serious threat to the ability of that scene to re-emerge after the pandemic. However, we also suggest that the social space of ‘indie’, which is very small in China, is one that needs to be preserved and recognised if anything like ‘innovation’ in the music industry is to continue.
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Copyright 2020 Informa
Access Condition Notes: Accepted manuscript available after 1 July 2022