LINGUISTIC IMPERIALISM IN THE SPOTIFY ERA

Abstract

A digital world is no longer a mirage but a new reality. Technology is present and actively influencing every dimension of our lives, including music. With more than 159 million European users and a library of over 100 million songs, Spotify has emerged as a dominant force in the music industry that massively shapes musical tastes and consumption habits. The new digital music paradigm brings a democratization of the music industry that opens the possibilities for consumers and artists to transcend geographical boundaries, making music more accessible than ever before. However, this increased accessibility also exposes music to the complex forces of globalization, raising questions about the preservation of a critical aspect of cultural identity: the national languages. This Master's Thesis investigates the impact of Spotify's emergence on the consumption of national language music in Europe. By analyzing national language presence in Spotify's European music charts and commercial charts until 2023, the research assesses how trends have evolved within the Spotify context and beyond the platform. Additionally, the perceptions of European Spotify users are examined to gain a qualitative understanding of the phenomenon, corroborating the quantitative data. A rigorous methodological approach is employed to gather both quantitative and qualitative data, generating robust insights that are meticulously analyzed in conjunction with the existing academic literature and framed within the theoretical lenses of Cultural Globalization and Algorithmic Bias. The resulting findings reveal that Spotify's emergence has significantly impacted the consumption of national language music in Europe, fostering a glocalized landscape where global languages like English and Spanish remain dominant in the global charts while national languages are experiencing a resurgence in local markets. This positive impact is reflected in increased chart presence, popularity, and revenue for national language music. However, user perceptions often diverge from this reality, highlighting a disconnect between the broader positive impact and individual listening experiences. Collectively, the content of this work presents that the democratization of music consumption through Spotify has created a more favorable environment for national language music, challenging the traditional narrative of cultural homogenization in favor of a "transcultural" environment where global and local influences coexist and interact

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A master thesis from Aalborg University

LINGUISTIC IMPERIALISM IN THE SPOTIFY ERA