Will Page, former chief economist at Spotify and PRS for Music, focused on the concept of “the tongue twisting hybrid between globalization and localization” during a SPOT+ event. The term is relevant with Danish industry eyes, as nine out of the ten most streamed artists in 2023 were Danish, while the same was true for four out of ten of the most played artists on the radio in 2023.
At first glance, it might sound like a positive wave for Danish music, but the former chief economist sees this trend as part of a weakening of export opportunities in the music industry. In this context, Will Page mentions several reasons why the local is growing in music, i.a. that the major labels prioritize local artists to a greater extent, and that more artists are self-publishing without a major label behind them. At the same time, users of the streaming services today can largely tailor their own playlists.
“The power has shifted from the global headquarters of record labels and streaming services to the local offices and local consumers,” explains Will Page.
Not a new phenomenon
However, the trend is not new. Will Page highlights the example of the Playstation game ‘SingStar’, where the version with Swedish hits sold far more copies in Sweden than the version with international hits, even though the international tracks were generally more popular.
In addition, he also mentions Poland as an example where local music is growing, but at the same time follows global trends. Here, 36 out of the 40 most played artists make hip-hop in Polish. So the listeners want hip-hop, which is the genre that is trending globally, but they prefer it in their own language.
Will Page emphasizes that there are both winners and losers from the trend, as a country like England, which previously exported a lot of music, loses part of its customer base. At the same time, he believes that Denmark stands strong in this development.
“Denmark is a future winner because the effects are really strong here”, he concludes and adds: “Perhaps also because you just make good music?”
Text: Rebecca Mai Nilsson
Photo: Stine Rosemunte
Will Page, tidligere cheføkonom ved Spotify og PRS for Music, satte under et SPOT+ arrangement fokus på begrebet ”the tongue twisting hybrid between globalization and localization”. Begrebet er relevant med danske branchebriller, da ni ud af de ti mest streamede kunstnere i 2023 var danske, mens det samme galt for fire ud af ti af de mest afspillede artister i radioen 2023.
Umiddelbart kunne det lyde som en positiv bølge for dansk musik, men den tidligere cheføkonom ser denne tendens som et led i en svækkelse af eksportmulighederne i musikbranchen. I den sammenhæng nævner Will Page flere årsager til, at det lokale vokser i musikken bl.a. at de store labels i højere grad prioriterer lokale kunstnere, og at flere kunstnere selv-udgiver uden et større label bag sig. Samtidig kan brugerne af streamingtjenesterne i dag i høj grad skræddersy deres egne playlister.
“Magten er blevet flyttet fra de globale hovedkontorer på pladeselskaber og streamingtjenester til de lokale kontorer og lokale forbrugere”, forklarer Will Page.
Ikke nyt fænomen
Dog er tendensen ikke ny. Will Page fremhæver eksemplet med Playstationspillet ‘SingStar’, hvor versionen med svenske hits solgte langt flere eksemplarer i Sverige end versionen med internationale hits, selvom de internationale numre generelt var mere populære.
Derudover nævner han også Polen som et eksempel, hvor den lokale musik er i vækst, men samtidig følger de globale trends. Her laver 36 ud af de 40 mest afspillede kunstnere hiphop på polsk. Altså vil lytterne have hiphop, som er den genre, der trender globalt, men de foretrækker det på deres eget sprog.
Will Page understreger at der er både vindere og tabere af trenden, da et land som England, der tidligere har eksporteret meget musik, mister en del af sin kundeskare. Samtidig mener han, at Danmark står stærkt i denne udvikling.
“Danmark er en fremtidig vinder, fordi effekterne er virkelig stærke her”, afrunder han og tilføjer: “Måske også fordi I bare har god musik?”
Tekst: Rebecca Mai Nilsson
Foto: Stine Rosemunte
