The empowerment of Cuban musicians, digital media and independent activities in a state-controlled sector

Abstract

The aim of this qualitative research is to explore the impact of independent activities within the Cuban music sector on the empowerment of musicians, and the role of digital media in this regard. This research is embedded in the theoretical context of the academic debates on the democratizing and empowering effects of worldwide digitalization. The discourse that specifically focuses on digitalization in the music industry explores the disruptive effects on the power structures of the music industry. Interestingly, this relation has been explored to a very limited extent in the context of countries with a high degree of state control, and generally assumes the context of a capitalist system. Cuba is a specific case of a country with a high degree of state control, as digital media appears to be rapidly gaining in popularity after the recent introduction to the internet in the country in 2011. The Cuban music sector is tightly controlled and monitored by the government, and offers little possibility of equal employment opportunities and freedom of creative expression. International digital media offers a virtual public space out of the reach of government control in the form of direct censorship. For this reason, it facilitates Cuban musicians to work independently from government institutions to a certain extent. The applied research methods are observations in Cuba as well as online observations, in-depth interviews, and analysis based on secondary literature including policy documents, blogs, news articles and social media posts.