The Consumption of English-Language Music Videos on Youtube in Japan
The Consumption of English-language Music Videos on YouTube in Japan Amanda Gillis-Furutaka Goldsmiths, University of London PhD Music Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2017 1 I declare that, unless otherwise stated, all the work presented in this thesis is my own. July, 2017 2 Acknowledgements I wish to thank my husband Hikaru, and three sons, Oto, Gen and On Furutaka for their patient support and help throughout my research. I also wish to thank my Japanese and non-Japanese colleagues for distributing my survey questionnaires and letting me test my ideas with them. Special thanks go to Professor Thomas Robb for his advice on inputting my survey data. Finally, I owe the fact that I have managed to complete this project to the wonderful support, advice and help provided by my supervisor, Professor Keith Negus. 3 Abstract Euro-American (Western) popular music has been imported, performed and adapted to Japanese musical sensibilities since 1854. It influenced Japanese popular music throughout the 20th century and can be heard everywhere these days in shops, on university campuses, at school festivals, on the radio and television, and at the live shows of touring artists. Although record sales indicate the dominance of the domestic industry, especially the J-pop market, young Japanese people are actively consuming Western music through YouTube. This study demonstrates the eclectic musical tastes of young Japanese people today and the role of YouTube as a music platform. Using a mixed methods approach that combines a survey of over 500 university undergraduates with interviews and focus group work with 82 students, a rich description is presented of the ways in which music videos on YouTube are consumed mainly through mobile digital devices.
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