Resisting the vortex of digital online music diffusion DIY

recording and distribution strategies

Paula Abreu
Faculty of Economics/Centre for Social Studies
University of Coimbra

Main purposes of the presentation:

To present some results of KISMIF research project
regarding the punk record editions in Portugal in

order to establish the specificities of the Portuguese

context and the features similar to other contexts
(OConnor for the USA).

Main purposes of the presentation:

To discuss the way some of these results point to, on
one hand, the DIY philosophy of punk culture and, on

the other hand, to forms of resistance both to the

dominant culture of digital distribution and musical
consumption and the (new) spirit of capitalism
running through the global network (WWW).

The data
Information collected through:
the interviews to punk musicians, producers, editors and punk
fans;
documents gathered during the research (press documents,
fanzines, records, photos, flyers, posters) and provided by
many of the interviewed;
Data bases built through the analysis of these multiple sources of
information and documents;

General Assumptions
1.In Portugal, punk made its appearance more or less
simultaneously with the United Kingdom (UK) or the
United States (US) scenes the first punk bands appeared
in the late 1970s (Guerra, 2014).

2.These first punk bands took part of the rise up of the

alternative rock in Portugal, thus assuming a central role
in the history of rock music in the country (Guerra 2014).

General Assumptions:
3. In the middle of the 1970s, the Portuguese record edition field was
embryonic 2 big national companies controlled the Portuguese

music edition and represented some of the international majors (EMI,

CBS, WEA). Few international companies had their own offices in
Portugal, such as Polygram (Abreu, 2010);
4. After de 1974 Revolution, multiple independent labels appeared,
editing new forms of Portuguese popular music, rock and alternative
rock (Abreu, 2010);

General Assumptions:
5. The consolidation of the Portuguese record edition field was
very late, completed at the beginning of the 1990s the new
copyright law and international copyright conventions where
then implemented and the 5 majors established their own
offices at the country (Abreu, 2010);

6. The Portuguese records sells grew during this decade, but the
Portuguese market was very small (the more successful discs
sold 150.000 units, but most of them did not sell more than
10.000 to 20.000) (Abreu, 2010);

General Context Assumptions:

7. The international majors controlled the market, namely the
edition of the Portuguese repertoire; the national
independent labels where a few ones and very vulnerable;
8. At the beginning of the 21st century everything changed the
national and the international phonographic fields went
through a severe reconfiguration related to the development
of the WWW and the new forms of music distribution (Abreu,
2010);

What happened with the Portuguese punk

record edition?

Portuguese punk records between 1976-2013 (N)

2012

2010

2008

2006

2004

2002

2000

1998

1996

1994

1992

1990

1988

1986

1984

1982

1980

1978

1976

130
120
110
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Type of record formats (%)

6,8

13,7

14,5

65,0

Cassette

CD

Online (mp3, ogg, etc.)

Vinyl

Type of record editions (N)

250

200

150

100

50

Album / LP /
Full Length

Compilations

1970

Demo

1980

Single

1990

2000

EP

2010

DVD

Labels (%)
Others
Authors edition
Other-countries labels
National Labels
Majors (EMI/VC; Polygram, BMG, SONY,
MCA, Universal)

0,0

10,0

20,0

30,0

40,0

50,0

Portuguese punk record labels:

Personal projects and investments of punk musicians or
fans;

Part of the punk scene networks and working within

them to find out the bands they work with, as well as
other kind of resources they need (to produce, promote,
distribute their editions)
Giving privilege to K7s and Vinyl formats;

Portuguese punk record labels:

Generally, with no contracts with the bands;

Depending on their own mailing lists, on the bands

networks and on punk concerts and venues to distribute
the records (k7s and Vinyl);
Working with internet platforms: classically Myspace;
nowadays at least Facebook, but also Bootcamp or
Tumblr;

The analysis of the empirical data we have gathered through this

research project is still going on. So we hope the study of the
perceptions of musicians, fans and mediators can help us on this
work of interpreting the Portuguese punk music scenes/culture
within a larger theoretical frame:
On the forms of attachment and ways of relation with culture
and life;
On the relation between specific forms of culture production,
distribution and consumption like de punk DIY mode and
the new capitalist forms and devices of the cultural industries.

Thank You for Your attention

Paula Abreu

pabreu@fe.uc.pt

KISMIF

http://www.punk.pt/pt/