Music Globalization

Globalisation basically means the world becoming small because of the increase and access of transportation and a global telecommunications environment. This process is very healthy for the growth of emerging markets like Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa which form the BRICS, a term used to describe the fast growing economies in the world. Globalisation does not only affect the economy but also influences how music is purchased, distribute and produced (www.unswbmedia.org/mdia1001/).

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One of the biggest problems that globalisation has brought is illegal music downloading and sharing.http://www.heraldsun.com.au/technology/ifpi-says-one-in-four-download-music-illegally-every-month/story-fn7celvh-1226252276195. The internet (Web 2.0) has made it possible for people around the world to access music and download music free of charge from websites all over the world. Illegal music affects the art form in a negative way because then music industry officials and musicians will not be able to make a living from all the hard work they put into their music. In essence illegal downloading of music is just like stealing someone’s monthly salary.

(image source: google images)

Another consequence of globalisation in music is westernisation created by pop culture. Hollywood is not only a movie industry; it has turned into a state of mind in every country created by the western culture we see on TV. When focus is on MTV and Vh1, it becomes hard for our own artists to catch up to developing countries and developed industries. In other words globalisation affects our local industry by changing our perception on how to compare music videos, shows and cultural behaviour (adapting to a new lifestyle).