Why indie music became mainstream in Taiwan

For decades, the island has been the center of Mandopop: almost all of the most recognizable Chinese singers come from Taiwan. In such a thriving music market, indie music can occupy the mainstream music market and gain a large number of fans, which is probably a unique phenomenon in the world. In my opinion, the flourishing of indie music in Taiwan is mainly due to cultural invasion, political environment, and the government’s support.

Pioneer sprout as an outcome of cultural invasion

The cultural invasion of American music is the foundation for the vigorous development of Taiwanese indie music.

The concept of “western music” and “pop music” first appeared in Taiwan in the 1950s. As the international situation changed, the US military began to be stationed in Taiwan, and these soldiers brought the burgeoning culture of western rock music and youth dance to Taiwan. American Club became the first place American rock music took root and spread in Taiwan; the radio stations that came to Taiwan with the American troops were an essential medium for spreading Western music.

In the 1960s and 1970s, a series of records published by Western record companies entered the Taiwanese market in a big way, with songs by the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, and others playing on a turntable. Taiwan’s local record manufacturing industry also ushered in vigorous development. In that era of lack of copyright awareness, many manufacturers relied on music charts or their own preferences to select songs for pressing and selling, namely “pirated records.” These special records were also one of the musical enlightenment of Taiwanese people at that time.

In the 1960s, record stores like the Columbia record store emerged in Taipei shopping malls, selling vinyl records, covering western pop songs, operas, and Beijing operas to meet the preferences of various groups.

As many enthusiastic young people have mastered quite a lot of music information and have a certain understanding of music styles, some begin to learn to play musical instruments and try to form groups with their friends to perform in clubs and western restaurants. However, most of these groups only cover English songs.

The story of the Taiwanese film A Brighter Summer Day is set in the 1960s. In the film, Cat and his friends form a band. He is famous for covering Elvis Presley’s songs.

The nourishment of the political environment

Long-term restrictions have increased people’s resistance. The music industry, which has been suppressed by centralization for a long time, also showed an explosive trend in a short time because of the cancellation of restrictions. In July 1987, Chiang Ching-kuo announced the lifting of the 38-year-old martial law in Taiwan. Available information from all over the world poured into the island more easily. International record companies also entered the Taiwan market and introduced western industrial experience.

At the same time, the consciousness of “nativity” and “resistance” previously suppressed by authoritarianism was raised again, including English, Hokkien, Hakka, aborigines, punk, metal, psychedelic, blues, experimental music... For a moment, a hundred flowers bloom in the market. The information received by Taiwan music fans is complex and diverse, far from being comparable to the forced single music taste during martial law. Crystal Records, Rolling Stone Records, and other large record companies were established one after another, and music festivals began to appear. Numerous underground bands emerged in Taiwan from 1995 to 1999, laying the foundation for the random play of Luantan Ascent (a Taiwanese musician)’s sentence “the era of bands is coming” at the 2000 Golden Melody Award.

Government’s support as a catalyst

The amount of subsidy is publicized on the official website every year.

The government’s investment is indispensable for the development of indie music. Since 2007, Taiwan has offered a recording subsidy program for independent bands, with selected bands receiving between NT$160,000 and NT$500,000 (about $6,400-$20,000). In 2010, the scale and amount of music subsidies were significantly upgraded. Taiwan officially released the Pop Music Industry Development Action Plan and invested hundreds of millions of NT dollars annually to support and subsidize the music industry. Over the years, hundreds of bands and musicians have benefited from this process, which has reduced anxiety about money, allowed them to devote themselves to music, and accelerated the creation and distribution of their works. The implementation of the music subsidy has profoundly influenced the rapid development of independent music in Taiwan in recent years.

A brief history of Taiwanese rock. (2017, November 22). Taiwan Beats. https://zh.taiwanbeats.tw/archives/18303

Indie Band Music Recording Subsidy, Film, Film and Pop Music Industry Bureau, Ministry of Culture. (n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2022, from https://www.bamid.gov.tw/informationlist_222.html

Yang, E. (1991, July 27). Gu ling jie shao nian sha ren shi jian. Yang & His Gang Filmmakers.

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