The social and cultural dimension of ‘platforming’ live music: the case of the Hong Kong independent music scene during the Covid-19 pandemic

This article explores the implications of the rise of digitally–mediated
live music performances in the context of one marginalized cultural
scene, the Hong Kong independent music scene, during the Covid-19
pandemic. Combining observation of live-streamed events with interviews
of key actors in the scene, this article analyses the processes by
which the partial ‘platformization’ of live music activities has led to the
deterritorialization and reterritorialization of the scene - through collaborations
between some Hong Kong and international indie music
actors and the reaffirmation of the ‘local’ via the use of visual represesentations
of the city in online concerts, as well as to forms of digital
disengagement. In turn, the article argues that analyses of the platformization
of culture music must take into consideration the sociocultural
effects of digital platforms on specific localized contexts of
cultural creation and consumption such as cultural scenes.