“Who Run the Music? Girls!” Examining the Construction of Female Digital Musicians’ Online Presence

ABSTRACT

Female digital musicians, who are self-taught, are making their presence known online by using digital technologies, especially social media. In order to understand how these musicians are making their voices heard, one-on-one interviews were conducted with an international sample of 17 female digital musicians who create content on YouTube, SoundCloud, and Vine. The interviews indicated that these musicians were self-motivated to acquire the necessary skills to become efficient social media users and to construct their online presence. Also, they were able to incorporate online comments, negotiating their positions as women and musicians. Overall, female digital musicians illustrate how the music audience has the ability and power to create its own culture in today’s music industry.