Buhoneros' reggaeton: Emerging Venezuelan musical practices through mediations in the informal sociopolitical ecosystem

Abstract

The following article explores the musical practices and communicating mediations carried out in each stage of the music industry's value chain in Venezuela, in order to observe the way those mediations influence the actors involved, determining the elements that both interact and define the Venezuelan's musical identity taking reg- gaetón (very broadly speaking, reggaetón is a Latinized derivative of Jamaican reggae, originating in Puerto Rico, via an interpretation of Panamanian reggae) as a case study. With this purpose, the research has used some empirical data and qualitative techniques, such as participants' observation, interviews and netnography, as well as quantitative data obtained from the main statistical sources in the country. After establishing the state of the art, the study raises a number of questions to be dis- cussed: (a) the features reaffirmed through a transculturalization process – mainly led by reggaetón – in the Venezuelan’s musical identity; (b) the creative uses the con- sumer has given to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in order to participate in the new communicating dynamics on the Internet; and (c) the effects that content appropriations, mainly encouraged by the habits of the new Internet user or Venezuelan informal commerce, are having in the country’s music industry.