Social media in Chile’s indie music scene: crossing local and global boundaries

This chapter examines how social media platforms strengthen the independent scene in Chile by bringing artists closer to their fan base and helping them make decisions about their music in looking to international reach. Chile, isolated by distance and geography, has a small population (17 million) compared to other Latin countries, and is not as attractive
to investments from the music industry. Based on data gathered from different actors within
the current scene (bands, solo projects, label personnel, fans) from three cities (Santiago,
Valparaíso, and Concepción) (N: 30), we discusses the impact social media has on the
promotion and consumption of music; and on the organization of the scene across local
and international boundaries. We argue that Chile’s indie scene centrally revolves around
social media, not only for the promotion of music and gigs, but also to facilitate the exchange
between music, fans, and labels. The centrality of social media has overcomes an otherwise
sense of isolation from global music scenes. Indie values are configured around an
entrepreneurial and adaptable spirit, and so has seen the most growth through social media,

even though some tensions emerge for different actors of the scene in relation to self-
promotion, socialization, and precariousness.