This study compares the culture industry and digital capitalism in relation to the world of music. A branch of the entertainment economy, the music world has always been closely interested in technological developments, cultural features, and ideologies. The establishment of an official music industry can be dated to the early 20th century. This sector has always required the support and cooperation of the media. Advertising and marketing are conducted through newspapers, television, radio, and magazines, all of which are traditional media tools. The media that a music product and musician or group appear in the media, the more attention they attract, the more sales they will have, and the more attention their concerts will attract. Large global companies size do not only target markets in economically developed countries but seek entry to all local markets. This indicates the relevance of digital capitalism for the music business.

Musicians who seek exposure must appear regularly on television shows, have their songs played on the radio, and be broadcast on music video channels to make their audience more familiar with them. As the audience becomes used to this music and their appearance becomes familiar to them, their audiences will start to admire them as icons. The global music industry, especially in North America, has created a large economic base on the systems of fandom and stardom. Popularity has become the most important fact in the culture industry. The concept of the culture industry, as developed by Adorno and Horkheimer, criticizes the production of art products for consumption. One of the main criticisms of the culture industry from a political economy standpoint is the standardization it produces.

This paper reconstructs the concept of the culture industry within the present world of music. Popular music culture in Turkey uses similar practices and approaches for the global market and the local Turkish market. Traditional media channels are widely used in the music world, and the industry has been shaped from the beginning by the discourse of popularity. In this study, structured and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 people working in the music industry or media.  

In the first decade of the 2000s, especially in North America and Western and Northern Europe, the music industry encountered digital media and experienced revolutionary change. It is possible to interpret these years as indicating the interaction of new sources of media with the music world, including illegal free downloading, and consequently, as demonstrating a global economic recession for the music business. American-based music professional associations and major music companies worked on the legal aspects of these disputes for nearly ten years to regain their rights. At present, the global music world has accepted the inevitable rise of digital technologies and new media, and it has adapted to this world as part of this new system. 

Technology is now being used by music and media companies to create new income streams using all of the novel economic opportunities afforded by new media. Releases on digital music platforms have replaced artists’ album sales. For example, iTunes, released by the technology company Apple in 2003, is primarily used to download songs. Now, however, the downloading model is being replaced by a streaming model, which provides the audience with an infinitely extensive music archive. Relatedly, the idea of possession has become a property-related issue and actions taken to enforce it seem incompatible with the transience and high speed of development of the new media age. 

This work focuses on the effects that capitalism has had the digital world. Digital discourse and social media claim to offer fair and equal conditions to all users. At present, musicians can upload a music video to a website like YouTube or make an account on any social media provider to reach new followers. Some well-known artists whose songs you may know by heart have reached your ear using these means, becoming known on social media. Even musicians who cannot reach traditional media can use new media tools in their favor and become a true phenomenon if they are lucky. This fairy tale promise is an innocent flower that opens within the world of the capitalist media and entertainment industry and enchants us with its fragrance. Is there a democratic environment that can suit everyone in a world where companies are using new media so effectively? This study investigates these questions.