Digital capitalism, platformization and coloniality: an investigation of Jakarta’s positioning as a “trigger city” in the global music market

Utilizing a colonial lens, this study critically investigates the factors contributing to Jakarta’s positioning as a trigger city within the global music value chain. Drawing on interviews with key stakeholders in the Indonesian music market, as well as data from news articles, commentaries, reports, and podcasts, the findings highlight how Jakarta’s colonial legacy, its development into a global city embedded in a neoliberal system, and the rise of a culturally omnivorous middle class, alongside industry-level dynamics such as platformization and playlist politics, create conditions for global music companies to appropriate and exploit local musical tastes and behavior. The study advances the literature on coloniality in marketing by revealing new forms of neocolonial exploitation, particularly within the context of digital capitalism. By introducing the concept of mediating target markets, this paper offers a lens to examine how digital capitalism reconfigures sociocultural hierarchies and facilitates new forms of value extraction.