Stanford Graduate School of Business, United States
This paper examines how market distance shapes the effectiveness of cross-cultural collaborations in the popular music industry. Drawing on a dataset of collaborations among musicians from 42 countries between 2016 and 2023, we investigate how different dimensions of distance affect the sustainability of market expansion efforts. While technological advancements have lowered distribution barriers, we hypothesize that successful market expansion ultimately depends on navigating multiple dimensions of market distance. Preliminary findings indicate that cross-cultural collaborations often yield immediate audience gains, but their long-term impact varies substantially based on the underlying distance between markets. These insights highlight the need to move beyond viewing distance as a monolithic factor and instead explore how distinct aspects of distance jointly shape whether audience interest endures or fades.
