ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how globalization and localization can be applied to our understanding of the music industry. As well as supplying phonograms nationally, the music companies exploit their recordings in foreign markets. The Swedish music industry is in one sense no longer Swedish because the transnationals essentially control the production, and distribution of popular music. 'Swedish' albums on major labels selling in Germany could be recorded in the UK, published in the US and manufactured and distributed in Germany. The Swedish Artists and Musicians Interest Organisation collect money for its members from countries that have signed the Rome Convention on copyrights. Many successful Swedish artists had their initial music training in the special music classes and especially the municipal music schools. Swedish listeners are a rather demanding and internationally oriented audience. Swedish contemporary pop music is often written and performed in English, hence Swedish artists have immediate access to the most important global pop music markets.
