This entertaining DLD25 conversation between economist Will Page and singer Sophie Louise Scott, known as Sophie & the Giants, highlights the importance of the fascinating concept of “glocalization” in the music industry.
“Globalization does not matter”, Page, the former chief economist of Spotify, asserts in his opening presenation.
He points to evidence that local artists increasingly dominate their domestic markets across Europe. “Last week, Italy announced 87 of the top 100 artists in Italy were Italian performing in Italian”, he says, pointing to just one of many examples. “Taylor Swift was at the bottom of that table.”
Sophie Louise Scott shares her experience as a British performer who first found success abroad while struggling for recognition in her home country. “By the looks of things, radio has been my biggest supporter in Germany and Italy”, she notes, adding that airplay in Germany and Italy was much higher than in the U.K.
To her, this illustrates the power of radio even in the age of streaming services. “I definitely had good streams before I sort of blew up on German and Italian radio”, the singer says. “But once that happened, my streams completely transformed into like the millions. Just like overnight, it was wild.”
Watch the video for further insights into the role of radio and Shazam in catapulting artists to stardom, the influence of disco and Italian music on Sophie’s sound, and the intersection of music, economics, and culture in a globalized world.
