Cultural Capital and Market Forces: Navigating Music Production Dynamics in Kenya’s Contemporary Music Industry

Abstract

This study examines the interplay between cultural capital and market dynamics in Kenya’s contemporary music production industry, interrogating how digital platforms, genre hybridisation, and shifting audience preferences reshape the valuation and operationalisation of cultural capital. Drawing on Bourdieu’s (1986) theory of cultural capital, the research employs a qualitative phenomenological approach, incorporating interviews with industry stakeholders, content analysis, and document review to explore tensions between cultural authenticity and commercial viability. Findings reveal that digital platforms like Boomplay and Mdundo act as gatekeepers, institutionalising cultural capital through metrics-driven validation while prioritising hybrid genres such as Gengetone and Afro Neo-Benga. These platforms create a feedback loop where streaming data influences production decisions, compelling artists to negotiate between local identity and global market demands. The study highlights a critical misalignment between formal music education and industry needs, exemplified by producers’ struggles to integrate embodied cultural capital (e.g., traditional musical knowledge) with technical proficiency in global genres. The analysis underscores the dual role of cultural capital as both an artistic resource and market force, emphasising the need for curricula that bridge technical expertise with deep cultural literacy. This research contributes to broader debates on cultural commodification, digital intermediation, and the evolving role of cultural capital in Africa’s creative economies.