“Ich bin der Rock'n'Roll‐Übermensch”: Globalization and Localization in German Music Television

Abstract

Current debates on globalization have taken into account indigenization and hybridization as strategies of supporting local cultures against the threat of homogenization. As the development of the German music television networks MTV Germany and Viva TV shows, fostering local culture is an economic necessity. Although both networks contribute to an influx of British and American music into Germany, they also feature a large quantity of music videos that, if not visually, at least musically cater to localized desires to declare a redefined German identity in ironic or nostalgic terms.

Notes

VJ Kristiane Backer from Hamburg, Germany, was an exception, but her English was not distinguishable from that of her British colleagues like Ray Cokes.

Interestingly, in their search for new and “exotic” locations to shoot music videos, American as well as German filmmakers have virtually gone everywhere—from Ghana to Australia, from Jamaica to Thailand. Even in this respect, German and American videos look equally “globalized”. On the other hand, there are a host of videos showing off local communities—be it Compton or Hamburg‐St.‐Pauli.

I cannot go into the social and cultural history of hip hop here. A good introduction is Rose.

For the concept of Signifyin(g), see Gates.