The Strategies of International Divisions Adopted by Record Companies in Taiwan within the Mandarin Popular Music Industry

• Main Authors: Wan-Yi Chang, 張婉怡
• Other Authors: Chen-Ling Hung
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2010
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/53629065951706094949

碩士 === 臺灣大學 === 新聞研究所 === 98 === The contemporary popular music industry is based on the principle that popular music is a commodity produced by big companies in a process of technologico-economic control. These companies rely on a system of musical creation, reproduction and retailing focused around big stars. For a long time Taiwan has been the center of Mandarin popular music, attracting artists from other countries with large Chinese communities such as Singapore, Malaysia and Mainland China. As a matter of fact, the rising of China market has gradually taken Taiwan’s place as the main battlefield for Mandarin popular music industry, as a result causing the record companies in Taiwan to make some transformation. However, the freedom of musical production and diversity of history and culture in Taiwan still make many overseas musicians and artists come to Taiwan to develop their music careers, especially those who have been dedicated to Mandarin pop. Most important of all, the major labels in Taiwanese Mandarin pop industry have developed an international division of labor in musical production and marketing. For most Mandarin pop artists in the recent decades, music produced, promoted and distributed in Taiwan seems guarantee a big success in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Mainland China. Therefore, I would like to investigate a thesis that demonstrates the production and marketing strategies applied by major record companies in Taiwan within the Mandarin popular music industry. I shall discuss the recent changes in production and marketing of Taiwanese Mandarin pop industry by examining the dynamics within cultural production structured by a wide economic formation, thus gaining a deeper understanding of the industry. Particularly, I''ll concentrate on the way record companies apply strategies of production and marketing to launch international divisions within the industry.