Pop Internationalism: Has Half a Century of World Music Trade Displaced Local Culture?

• Published in: The Economic journal (London) Vol. 123; no. 569; pp. 634 - 664
• Main Authors: Ferreira, Fernando, Waldfogel, Joel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-06-2013; Wiley-Blackwell; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Bias; Communication channels; Communications technology; Consumer economics; Consumption; Consumption theory; Countries; Cultural studies; Culture; Distributive trade; Domestic consumption; Globalization; Gross domestic product; Imports; International economics; International trade; Internationalism; Market share; Music; Popular music; Studies; Technological change; Trade
• ISSN: 0013-0133; 1468-0297
• DOI: 10.1111/ecoj.12003

Advances in communication technologies have increased the availability of cultural goods across borders, raising concerns that cultural products from large economies will displace those in smaller economies. This article provides stylised facts about global music consumption and trade since 1960 using a unique data on popular music charts corresponding to over 98% of the global music market. Contrary to growing fears about large-country dominance, our gravity estimates show a substantial bias towards domestic music that has, perhaps surprisingly, increased in the past decade. Moreover, we find no evidence that new communications channels reduce the consumption of domestic music.