The Taiwan Cultural Economy and Underground Music Festivals

Just as Taiwan is becoming more international by the day, its culture is also opening up to the world; not only giving away, but also taking in as much as it can. This is happening everywhere, from music genres to clothing styles.

In Taipei alone, we can find a fascinating range of artistic events throughout the year. One example of this is the famous Nuit Blanche. This event turns the whole city into the stage of a theater and its citizens become performers of the play.

The Ministry of Culture is heavily investing in the development of “Brand Taiwan” to the point that it has created a new affiliated administrative institution “The Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA)” and will invest NT$20 billion by next year solely in culture.

Foreigners living in Taiwan have started to take notice of the profound metamorphosis that the Taiwanese culture scene is undergoing. One of the new industries that is rising is the music industry; taking advantage of the island’s beautiful scenery, outdoor music festivals are becoming even more popular among the youth.

Underground music genres and independent artists in the Taiwanese market

I had the opportunity to talk to Noe Charmet, one of the founders of “EXTRA TAIWAN”, an almost newborn music festival that has been showcasing local and international artists for about three years.

“The kind of artistic values that EXTRA promotes are not really in phase with the usual Taiwanese ones, although they are the standard in Europe… we evolve in a more underground setting,” said Noe.

Besides being a festival, EXTRA also displays an “Artist Village” which gathers craftsmen as well as artists’ booths. In the past year, groups like Amnesty International also joined the festival. The “Artist Village” serves as a platform for artists and food vendors to promote their small growing businesses among the local and international community.

(Courtesy of EXTRA)

This festival mostly attracts an international crowd, which might be the reason why is still considered underground among the local community.

“Honestly, we haven’t heard of any benefits or grants that the Taiwanese government could provide. From what I see the administration tend to only see the party side of the festivals over the cultural aspects. Being foreigners probably doesn’t help,” mentioned Noe in the interview.

The fact that this is still considered an underground event should serve as an incentive to be supported by government entities that are interested in the “provision of assistance for indie music promotional activities and campus performance tours so as to stimulate the domestic market” or for the “Encouragement of diversification of export markets, including subsidization of efforts to stimulate cross-national and cross-territorial confluence of resources and mutually advantageous cooperation in order to expand markets for live performances and musical products”, just as the Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development of the Ministry of Culture states on its website.

Music festivals and politics

Earlier this year, Kaohsiung mayor and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Han Kuo-yu speculated that the funding for Kaohsiung’s “Megaport Music Festival” was manipulated by government officials, which led to the start of an investigation by the city government. The festival has now been cancelled. Nevertheless, motives behind the investigation might be politically based, according to some politicians.

Now that the KMT is in control of the majority of city governments around the country, other cities might also take similar approaches toward cultural activities, including music festivals.

The power music has to move crowds toward certain beliefs is sometimes underestimated. Music has always been a big part of social change, from songs that turned into the anthems that inspired social movements in Latin America during the Cold War, to today’s more modern tunes that inspire millions of people, in both Taiwan and Hong Kong, to defend their democracies and freedoms.

An example of such is the recent “Free Hong Kong” concert organized by Defend Democracy Safeguard Taiwan Alliance in Liberty Square, Taipei. Bands such as Fire Ex made their appearance at this free concert. Fire Ex’s lead singer Sam Yang, dedicated the concert to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and all the brave souls around the world.

Niponika (courtesy of EXTRA)

Where do music festivals belong in Taiwan? 

“We started doing outdoor activities in Huashan Park with little equipment and some friends to help, now we have so many great partners. For this edition, we have a partnership with the French representative office in Taipei… they gave us grants to bring French artists to Asia, and organize tours for them,” added Noe in the interview.

The international setting of this event not only gives Taiwanese artists and the audience the opportunity to experience foreign values and entertainment, but at the same time allows its mix with the local ones. This unique mixture is what gives Taiwan its own identity and could become part of the brand they’re trying to promote to the world.

This year Extra Festival Winter edition will take place Saturday, November 30th and Sunday, December 1st.

(Feature photo of Taiwanese DJ Vice City, courtesy of EXTRA)