Hong Kong's alternative music choice : how do indie musicians establish own music labels in the commercial pop dominating music scene?

Abstract

There has been a long search for the next talented and influential band like Beyond in this city. Though not every band could gain popularity and artistic recognition like such legendary band, it does not mean that this city has no indie music scene. It has been noticed that the once glamorous Canton music industry has gone through drastic changes for the past decades, which the conventional music label system and broadcasting media are no longer the major factor to determine the development of a music talent’s career. With such a turning point in the dominating commercial Cantopop scene, a bright future for a more diverse local music scene seems possible. Still, not many of the new indie bands and musicians are being realized in the industry, what may be the factors to hinder the indie music development, or what is the reality that the new music talents are facing? This study aims to investigate how the indie musicians survive in the commercial pop music scene by keeping their indie spirit strong and by grasping every opportunity to share their own created music to mass audience. This project includes seven groups of interviewees, including both bands and solo artists, to share their core values of indie music and hopes for a more creative and distinctive Hong Kong music scene.