Get the latest gossip

As Music Becomes More ‘Glocal,’ Songwriters Need to Rethink How They Do Business

As music gets more global and local simultaneously, songwriters in music-exporting markets like Sweden must rethink their business.

And as the entertainment business went digital, Sweden had high penetration of high-speed internet and was an early adopter of global platforms — both legal (Spotify) and illegal (The Pirate Bay). A quarter century ago, Swedish songwriters and producers were helping craft hits by U.S. artists such as Backstreet Boys,*NSYNC and Britney Spears, reaping the rewards of massive album sales at the peak of the CD era. At the same time, K-pop companies are effectively embracing glocalization by exporting their artist development approach to places like the U.S. and Latin America, creating musical groups tailored for local markets.

Get the Android app