Harmony and Hustle: Independant Labels in the French Hip-hop Scene within the Digital Era

This research explores how independent labels deal with the new digital environment, taking the French Hip-Hop scene as a case study. Based on qualitative research with 7 interviews of experts in the music industry and a thematic analysis we review the effects of digitalization for independent labels. We first look at the concerns related to the accessibility of streaming platforms, then discuss the dynamics between independent music labels and the majors. We explain the gatekeeping practices in both majors and streaming services as well as the impact of datafication. Our results show that the digitalization is beneficial for the independent labels due to an easier access to music from the production to marketing tools and data reports. Independent labels seek to differentiate themselves from the majors developing a strong identity and quality of music. We also look at the stakes of fake streams and how it disrupt the market. As a result majors might have lose their key role of controlling the market entries but still get a bargaining power and independent labels are nevertheless favored by the digitalization of the industry, compared to the CD era. Nevertheless this thesis opens the way to further academic researches notably the impact of IA on the music industry.