Music in Otara
The music of Otara reflects its multi-ethnic population, with a vast array of musical styles coming together to form the basis of the Otaran musical industry. Otara is renowned for its contributions to the global musical scene across several genres, especially rap, pop, and various forms of electronic and house music. Otaran artists attract global attention, and the country maintains one of the largest musical industries in the world. Native Otarans, Anglo-Otarans, Japanese-Otarans. and mixed Otarans all brought their own styles to the Otaran music industries, also drawing heavy influences from the rhythmic styles of certain native Macayanesian groups. Modern Otaran music is characterized by the rapid growth in electronic production, and a steep rise in the popularity of electronic and rap music.
Modern popular music
Electronic
Electronic music, as a collective genre with all its variations, is considered the most widely popular musical genre in Otara. Electronic music was propelled into the Otaran mainstream between 2008-2012 with the explosion of dubstep and house music's popularity among Millennials and Generation Z. Since its rapid rise into the mainstream, a vast array of electronic subgenres have ascended to widespread popularity, such as glitch hop, progressive house, among others. Electronic music and their producers have had a profound effect on almost every element of the Otaran music industry, often being featured as producers for hit songs within other genres such as pop and rap.
Rap
Rap music has also seen an explosion into the Otaran mainstream, producing consistently high numbers from 2015 and on. Otaran rap heavily draws influence from both American and British rap styles, especially in the form of drill music. Despite this, Otaran rappers have more or less developed their own national brand of rap, developing a distinguished style characterized by distinctly Otaran accents, vocabulary, and subject matter. The Otaran rap industry is heavily influenced by electronic music producers, who are often contracted to produce trap or drill style beats for their lyrics. Despite the Kalua Regime's vast musical deregulation initiatives starting in the 21st century, rap music, on some occasions, is openly viewed as "problematic" by elements of the Otaran government, who believe that the music style promotes violence, aggression, and public dissonance. This attitude, however, is quickly eroding, especially after a series of protests in 2016 against the censorship of rap music.
Pop
Pop music has been a consistently chart-topping musical genre for all of the 21st century. This is mainly attributed to the fact that Otaran pop music is viewed as the most adaptable and changeable genre in the nation's music industry, and often works to adopt popular trends gaining traction in other genres, such as rap and electronic music. The definition of "pop" music in Otara has been blurred over the last few years, as pop artists continually adopt to trends within electronic and rap genres, but maintaining the distinctive pop lyrical style.
OCharts Top 10 - 2010s/2020s
OCharts is an Otaran music charting business that tracks and notes the most popular songs of every year, which is soft-updated on a weekly basis and hard-updated on a monthly basis. The current #1 position on the 2020 OChart is held by Mystic ft Nara - "Synthesize". Below is a compilation of the most popular songs from 2010 and onward, mostly consisting of #1 hits, but also including some top 3 hits.
| Record | Artists | Genre | Released | Weeks at #1 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "How Deep Is Your Love" | Ozzy Dorn ft Meilani | House | May 6, 2015 | 16 | Most successful song in Otaran history |
| "Retaliation" | 2-7 Spartans | Drill | February 1, 2019 | 10 | Most successful rap song in Otaran history |
| "Burning Freestyle" | Wake prod Mystic | Rap | June 26, 2018 | 9 | Most successful single and freestyle rap in Otaran history |
| "Smooth" | OHL Kingz | Rap | January 7, 2020 | 9 | Awarded "most innovative" song of 2020 |
| "Revelation" | Mystic ft Nara | Trap | August 13, 2016 | 8 | Awarded "most innovative" song of 2016, most successful trap song in Otaran history |
Industry and economics
Labels
The Otaran music industry is mostly ran by large labels which focus on certain genres. Most independent artists who experience a spike in popularity often find themselves signed to a major label unless they expressly deny the signing. The three "core" largest labels in Otara are Gemini Records (with a major focus on electronic music), Urban Exclusive (with a major focus on rap music), and Grand KFM (with a major focus on pop music). Otara is also the home for thousands of smaller labels which work to promote the music of innovative independent artists. Analysts often attribute the rise of different trends in Otaran music to the innovative work of the smaller labels, especially in the 21st century.
Platforms
Radio was the most common platform for listeners in Otara for decades, with record labels actively working with radio stations to get their music played. A vast array of musical radio stations have risen with focuses in certain genres, and many remain popular today. However, with the advent of modern streaming platforms such as Pressplay and Audiofy, as well as video platforms such as Vidline, online listening has become the most popular platform for Otaran listeners.
Influence
Otaran music is integral to the celebration of national holidays, corporate marketing of products (often in the form of commercials), and youth culture. President Puleleiite Kalua stated in 2004 that the propensity for musical freedom and experimentation was always central to Otaran culture, and that past governments were completely in the wrong for applying strict regulation policies on the industry. Otara is the home for many large music festivals which draw international attention, from rave style electronic mashups to label-ran rap and pop events. These festivals draw hundreds of thousands of tourists to Otara every year alongside millions of domestic visitors, and were made possible by the Kalua Regime's vast de-regulation on musical and public gathering policies, and are celebrated as an integral part of the Otaran tourist and musical economy.