Online prosumer convergence: Listening, creating and sharing music on YouTube and TikTok

Abstract

Social media and prosumers have encouraged participatory creativity in the era of platformization. In this context, successful platforms such as YouTube and TikTok have facilitated users interact with music content in a wide variety of meaningful and evocative videos. In the light of research on the cultural prosumption of Internet content, as well as the global exchange of musical data, which is leading an emerging and innovative digital convergence, this study analyses the intersection between digital music and users through the Music Prosumer Questionnaire (MuPQ). This tool consists of three dimensions and 21 items based on (a) music preferences, (b) use of social media, and (c) music engagement. For this purpose, we collected the response of 698 users from Spain and Italy. The results showed that digital and visual music is essential to users’ life as a means of expression and relationship with other people. In particular, in their role as music curator, are more interested in “music watching” than in blind listening, which is related to mainstream music viewing dynamics. These findings provide new insights for understanding how music evolves according to the relationship between users and social media beyond technological progress.