<b>Cultural industry, cyberculture and independent music in Brasília State: a study on the bands ‘Amanita’ and ‘Feijão de Bandido’

Abstract

Current paper analyzes the relationship between the advent of new digital recording technologies, the use of the internet as a media marketing structure and the rise of independent music production. This analysis investigates the so-called independent phonographic market (‘open markets’) since, within the context of the information society, the use of software and hardware in production processes and recording of popular music reduced recording costs and the emergence of independent record labels and artists. The concept of cyberspace as a new form of broadcasting - network - symbolic goods is legitimated.Brasilia, a city that became prominent in the Brazilian music scene due to the rise of independent bands featuring different musical styles, is thus focused. Members of two bands fromBrasilia were interviewed by e-mail. They were an asset in understanding how the production and promotion processes of a band without any contract with a traditional label took place. The survey revealed that digital recording has made the manufacture of phonograms easier. With the aid of the internet and specifically through the social networks, the enhancement of independent bands became possible even without large investments and organizational materials.