Digital Music Platforms in China: new market and new control 

4/7 2:30 p.m.

Presenters: FUNG, Anthony Y.H.

Area of study: Creative media/Journalism

Abstract: The paper discusses the changing distribution and consumption of popular and music market and community formation with a focus on music digital platforms, including Alibaba Planet, Netease Music, Xiami Music and QQ Music platforms. Popularity of these digital music platform represents not only an emergence of a paid digital market of popular music, one that became the 7th largest music market in the world in 2017 as the market has increasingly been constituted by the more educated and socio-economically wealthier audience. Theoretically the phenomenon also represents a separation of online community formation and the consumption. Fans still largely rely on a diversity of online sites for fans interaction and formation, but, ironically, as the few platforms acquired all major music copyright in China, audience can only reply on a few music platforms for music consumption. The music market then is reduced to an oligarchic competition among a few music giant platforms. In 2019, the state decided to re-intervene to construct a healthier music market.

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