From audio broadcasting to video streaming: The impact of digitalization on music broadcasting among the Swedish-speaking minority of Finland

This paper investigates how digitalization has affected the role that Finland’s PublicService Broadcasting Company (YLE) plays for the popular music culture of theSwedish-speaking minority of Finland. Drawing on theories from popular musicand cultural industry studies, the study explores to what extent new technology haschanged practices, structures and perspectives of minority artists. The paper, whichforms a sub-study of a larger research project on the impact of digitalization onminority music, focuses on two case studies, the comic duo Pleppo and comedian/artist Alfred Backa. The analysis illustrates how important the public service broad-casting company still is for minority culture despite the structural changes caused bydigitalization. However, the radio’s quality norms have led to a paradoxical situationwhere the digital productions of the musicians need to compete with the technical standards of the international entertainment industry, whereas the channels’ ownproductions can follow DIY norms. As the broadcasting company is increasinglymoving its focus towards the web, it must in the future achieve a balance between thedifferent dynamics of commercial interests, controversial creativity and traditionalpublic broadcasting objectives.