What is it about?
This article looks at how three up-and-coming bands from China use digital platforms, such as Netease Cloud Music, Sina Weibo, Billibilli, and Douyin, to become industry professionals. It dives into the historical and political-economic context of the music industry in China before discussing three bands as case studies. The paper identifies several themes the bands use when talking about their use of digital platforms: entrepreneurism, professionalism, authenticity, independence, convenience, and necessity. The article argues that up-and-coming indie bands actively use digital platforms to shape their DIY careers in a self-entrepreneurial way.
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Why is it important?
Indie bands in China remain relatively unknown to the global audience and underresearched in academia. This paper provides new insights on how indie bands use platforms in their careers from a Chinese perspective. The unique context of China, with its own music history and domestic platform ecosystem, can complicate discussions about indie globally.
Perspectives
It was a great pleasure interviewing the indie bands and seeing them live. I think their stories are important to record and may spark interesting discussions within and outside academia.
Mick Vierbergen
Hong Kong Baptist University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Dreaming of a diy Career: Platform Practices, Motivational Discourses, and the Self-Entrepreneurial diy of Up-and-Coming Indie Bands in China, Youth and Globalization, January 2025, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1163/25895745-bja10038.
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