Introduction: Popular Music in Eastern Europe: Breaking the ‘Cold War Paradigm’

Abstract

The Introduction argues that the prevailing way to present popular music in Eastern Europe is by emphasising its self-colonising character, namely its imitation of western music, and its oppositional attitude to the official ideology. Instead, the authors of the subsequent chapters offer a more balanced take on this phenomenon, pointing to its creative engagement with western music and the advantages of operating under state socialist system. It also presents the structure of the book, which is divided into three parts. The first part is devoted to music policy and their effect on music produced in a number of countries. The second part analyses the role of ‘gatekeepers’ and mediators between the artists and audiences, namely censors, journalists and DJs. The last part concerns the greatest stars from the region.