Roots Routes: Japan, Jamaica, and the Global Flows of Vintage Reggae Vinyl
This article excavates the historical, cultural, and music industrial significance of the buying and selling of Jamaican vinyl records in Japan. It reveals an unexpected connection between alternative distribution flows and the persistence of material music in the digital era. The Japanese market fo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Michigan Publishing
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Media Industries |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.publishing.umich.edu/mij/article/id/2023/ |
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| author | John Vilanova |
| author_facet | John Vilanova |
| author_sort | John Vilanova |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article excavates the historical, cultural, and music industrial significance of the buying and selling of Jamaican vinyl records in Japan. It reveals an unexpected connection between alternative distribution flows and the persistence of material music in the digital era. The Japanese market for Jamaican records exposes an under-theorized distribution relationship between two island nations on opposite sides of the globe. The durability of this market—launched by amateurs in the 1980s and nurtured into a productive and ongoing discourse—suggests that the materiality of Jamaican vinyl has particular meanings in Japanese culture and that Japan has played an important role in the preservation of Jamaican vinyl. Research consists of interviews with Japanese reggae fans, record store owners, and artists, conducted at reggae record stores throughout Tokyo, Japan. Studying these connections is important because it reorients our approach to flows of music and requires an engagement with the materiality of music-industrial products despite digital distribution’s growing hegemony. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d6b868a7111c4e9695ab80f77f96c1ff |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2373-9037 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Michigan Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Media Industries |
| spelling | doaj-art-d6b868a7111c4e9695ab80f77f96c1ff2025-08-20T02:13:24ZengMichigan PublishingMedia Industries2373-90372024-01-0110210.3998/mij.2023Roots Routes: Japan, Jamaica, and the Global Flows of Vintage Reggae VinylJohn Vilanova0Lehigh UniversityThis article excavates the historical, cultural, and music industrial significance of the buying and selling of Jamaican vinyl records in Japan. It reveals an unexpected connection between alternative distribution flows and the persistence of material music in the digital era. The Japanese market for Jamaican records exposes an under-theorized distribution relationship between two island nations on opposite sides of the globe. The durability of this market—launched by amateurs in the 1980s and nurtured into a productive and ongoing discourse—suggests that the materiality of Jamaican vinyl has particular meanings in Japanese culture and that Japan has played an important role in the preservation of Jamaican vinyl. Research consists of interviews with Japanese reggae fans, record store owners, and artists, conducted at reggae record stores throughout Tokyo, Japan. Studying these connections is important because it reorients our approach to flows of music and requires an engagement with the materiality of music-industrial products despite digital distribution’s growing hegemony.https://journals.publishing.umich.edu/mij/article/id/2023/reggae musicmusic industrymaterial cultureJapanJamaicacultural preservation |
| spellingShingle | John Vilanova Roots Routes: Japan, Jamaica, and the Global Flows of Vintage Reggae Vinyl Media Industries reggae music music industry material culture Japan Jamaica cultural preservation |
| title | Roots Routes: Japan, Jamaica, and the Global Flows of Vintage Reggae Vinyl |
| title_full | Roots Routes: Japan, Jamaica, and the Global Flows of Vintage Reggae Vinyl |
| title_fullStr | Roots Routes: Japan, Jamaica, and the Global Flows of Vintage Reggae Vinyl |
| title_full_unstemmed | Roots Routes: Japan, Jamaica, and the Global Flows of Vintage Reggae Vinyl |
| title_short | Roots Routes: Japan, Jamaica, and the Global Flows of Vintage Reggae Vinyl |
| title_sort | roots routes japan jamaica and the global flows of vintage reggae vinyl |
| topic | reggae music music industry material culture Japan Jamaica cultural preservation |
| url | https://journals.publishing.umich.edu/mij/article/id/2023/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT johnvilanova rootsroutesjapanjamaicaandtheglobalflowsofvintagereggaevinyl |