Streaming services and the democratization of recorded music in Finland

Authors

• Juho University of Tampere https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6527-4115

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33355/tw.79428

Keywords:

streaming services, music technology, technological systems

Abstract

In their over decade long existence, streaming services have become one of the leading ways audiences engage with music. This article examines how streaming services and the technology underneath them have influenced the production of recorded music in general and particularly in Finland. It approaches this topic by concentrating on the historical development of democratization of production employing conjunctural analysis.

Democratization of record production is understood in the research as the levelling of hierarchies and privileges related to perceived ethnicity or gender as well as geographical location, social and economic status and rewards and musical style  following Hesmondhalgh’s 1998 definition. Conjunctural analysis aims at exposing how technological, economic, social, and political dimensions intertwine in the history of streaming in Finland in terms of democratization.

The article argues that technology of distribution and production have come to afford more producers and artists regardless of economic status or geographical location. However, while democratization has advanced in terms of previous matters, the possibilities to gain social or economic rewards have not enhanced in the streaming age. Power to gain attention and make profit has accumulated to established, larger actors vis-à-vis major music companies and streaming services such as Spotify and Youtube.