More Than Just a Box: Music Storage Medium and the Mediatization of Chinese Rock Culture

Abstract

As rock music became popular among Chinese youth, many “hardcore” rock fans strongly resisted the popularization of rock culture, criticized the publicity stunt of rock musicians, and insisted on using cassette tapes or CDs rather than live-streaming services in music consumption. This article employs mediatization theory to explain the different and contested perceptions of Chinese rock among fans. Through examining the development of music storage medium and rock fans’ experience of using them during the past three decades, this study illustrates how music storage medium has played a significant role in the long-term transformation of Chinese rock culture, shows how the patterns of cultural transformation are shaped by the logic of media, and argues that the transformation from perceiving rock as a hardcore underground culture to a popular genre just like other music is a process of mediatization.

KEYWORDS:

• Mediatization; rock music; counterculture; storage medium
• China

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).