Dis.Ordering Distribution explores the intricate relationship between distribution and production, drawing on empirical evidence from two vibrant centers of cultural production: Africa and Asia. Delving into how cultural entrepreneurs engage with global distribution platforms and the resulting impact on the creation of cultural artifacts, the analysis reveals that digital platforms are not merely end-point distribution tools but are also reshaping production processes.
The first section, “Infrastructures, Formats, and Rules”, examines the triad of infrastructures, formats, and rules, highlighting their historical significance and their role in shaping consumer behavior through distribution platforms. The second section, “Distribution as a Force Shaping Production” focuses on memes as a case study to illustrate the close link between distribution and production and how memes as a ubiquitous element of contemporary media culture, exemplify how distribution influences production. The final section, “Cultural Entrepreneurs in the Platform Business” brings attention to the physical spaces within a platform-dominated environment. It discusses how cultural entrepreneurs, such as artists and musicians, leverage their networks and data collection methods to promote their work, emphasizing the continued importance of local production and distribution sites.
This volume provides a comprehensive analysis of how digital platforms are transforming cultural production and distribution.
Dis.Ordering Distribution explores the intricate relationship between distribution and production, drawing on empirical evidence from two vibrant centers of cultural production: Africa and Asia.
Dis/Ordering Distribution: A Short Introduction; Cornelia Storz, Vinzenz
Hediger, and Matthias Krings
Section I. Infrastructures, Formats, and Rules: How They Matter in
Distribution and Production
Chapter
1. The Power of Recommendations: Sculpting Culture in the Digital
Era; Dana Oz, Moritz von Zahn, Maximilian Lowin, Shachar Reichman, and Oliver
Hinz
Chapter
2. Platform Distribution of Music: How Afrobeats Artists Build
Audiences through Social Media and Streaming Algorithms; Bakar Abdul-Rashid
Jeduah
Chapter
3. Digital Platforms Geographic Distribution Strategies: The Role of
Color in Geotargeting; Egbert Amoncio
Chapter
4. Empires of Distribution: Hollywood, Nollywood, and the Case for
Distribution Studies; Vinzenz Hediger
Section II. Distribution as a Force Shaping Production: The Case of Memes
Chapter
5. Beyond Spreadability and Virality: Distributing Internet Memes in
Limited Circles and Circular Motions; Jana Zündel
Chapter
6. Nigerian Afrobeats: From Memes to Streams?; Tom Simmert
Section III. Cultural Entrepreneurs in the Platform Business
Chapter
7. Streaming Nollywood Before Netflix: iROKOtv and the Global
Distribution of Nigerian Cinema; Sonia Campanini
Chapter
8. Brokers, Platforms, and the Global Distribution of Afrobeats
Music; Ute Röschenthaler and Tom Simmert
Cornelia Storz is Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany.
Vinzenz Hediger is Professor of Cinema Studies at Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany.
Matthias Krings is Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany.
