Globalization through Music Streaming

Music has always been a way for cultures to express themselves and their identities. Before the rise of music streaming services, these values were kept within their own niche groups due to the inability to share them with others. This has now changed with the access to the certain programs and websites that allow their users to upload and share their own content virtually everywhere. Due to these new technologies, a wave of globalization has occurred within our society allowing them to promote and raise awareness about themselves. For instance, Shakira has created a global demand and desire for latin inspired music that wasn’t necessarily mainstream before. Although there might be a universal want for this kind of hybrid music, that does not imply that global pop music is the most consumed form. Global music is produced to reach a global audience and in turn make a profit. While on the other hand, local music aims to satisfy the needs of its own regionalized audiences. Music streaming has allowed its users to find specialized content created at both local and global levels, initiating this wave of cultural acceptance and globalization we see today.