Local Music in the Global Digital Field: A Study of Distribution and Popularity of Chinese Music on Youtube

between globalized “local music” and a “global audience,” on the example of Chinese music as to be found on Youtube. Distribution and popularity patterns of Chinese music videos are studied, as well as their public perception. The study is an attempt of pushing forward the boundaries of both ethnomusicology and internet research in the 21st century digital age. Since systematic research approaches to global audiences from an musicological perspective have been undertaken rarely with regard to internet music, this study can be regarded as an methodological suggestion, which might be taken further and adopted into other contexts.