Western popular music consumption by highly involved Chinese music fans

This paper explores the development of Western popular music consumption for highly involved Chinese consumers. This research is exploratory and uses semi-structured online interviews. The consumption of Western popular music in China is deeply embedded in the changing political and social context. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, an underground culture of ‘dakou’, cut tapes and CDs, developed, which was a decisive and formative influence for many of our respondents. Later this was supplemented by counterfeit tapes/CDs, and by Internet downloads, which also increased access to Western music. However, both recorded and live music are still censored in China. Our respondents agreed that the political restrictions on music have prevented China from developing a 'normal' music market, and created a market which is almost entirely based on illegal downloading. As the lifestyle choices of our respondents were deeply influenced by the consumption of Western music, many of them ultimately decided to leave China and live abroad.

► The (illegal) ‘dakou’ culture of ‘cut’ tapes and CDs in China was a formative influence for many respondents. ► Later, much of Western music consumption changed to counterfeit tapes/CDs and Internet downloads. ► Access to recorded and live music is still restricted; all (legal) music is still censored in China. ► Western music consumption opened a window to a different, wider world for many respondents. ► Many respondents left China, to be able to express themselves freely with a lifestyle of their choice.