[Column] How did the music movement originating from the Discord community form a new underground culture?
Column en Digital-Community Internet-Culture![[Column] How did the music movement originating from the Discord community form a new underground culture?](/../assets/images/column-discord.webp)
Introduction
| Text: mmr | Theme: The music culture born from the Discord community follows in the footsteps of forming a global “new underground scene” through anonymity and high-speed communication. |
New music history starting from the server
In the past, music scenes were formed in each city. London had punk, Detroit had techno, Seattle had grunge. Record stores, live music venues, clubs, universities, studios. Places where people physically gathered were the centers of culture.
However, since the late 2010s, that structure has been rapidly changing. The era has come when the chat server itself, rather than a specific city, becomes the scene.
The service at the center of this was Discord.
Discord originally started as a voice chat service for gamers, but its low-latency calls, detailed channel segmentation, anonymity, and ease of community management have transformed it into a huge hub for the music community.
What happened there was not just an “exchange”. It was a gigantic production space where production, criticism, distribution, collaboration, meme formation, genre naming, artwork sharing, leaks, and sampling culture were all happening simultaneously.
Many of the 2020s genres that originated online, such as Bedroom Pop, Hyperpop, Digicore, Pluggnb, HexD, and Glitchcore, spread through Discord communities.
The traditional music industry’s requirements for labels, distribution networks, studios, and connections are no longer essential. Young artists found allies solely on Discord servers, sent beats to each other, completed songs, uploaded them to TikTok and SoundCloud, and within weeks were gaining global listeners.
This is not just a technological innovation. It was a structural change in the music community itself.
Discord has changed from being a “conversation tool” to a huge cultural device that generates underground music in the 2020s.
Internet music culture before Discord
From forum culture to SNS era
To understand the Discord community, we need to look back at the internet music culture that preceded it.
In the early 2000s, message boards and forums were at the heart of the music community. Many music creators interacted in text-based spaces such as 4chan, Something Awful, Reddit, Hip Hop Forums, and KVR Audio.
Then, with the advent of MySpace, music and social media merged. Artists now have a profile page, where they can directly upload songs and connect with fans.
In the 2010s, SoundCloud formed the next generation of indie music scene. A lot of DIY music spread from SoundCloud, including cloud rap, lo-fi hip hop, and bedroom pop.
However, SoundCloud was primarily a “public” place. It was a space for uploading completed works, and the community nature of the production process was limited.
That’s where Discord became important.
Discord wasn’t a place to display completed works, it was a place for unfinished ideas to circulate. Beat in progress. Loop for a few seconds. Temporary mix. Plugin settings. Sampling material. Screenshot of the production screen.
By sharing these “intermediate stages” at high speed, musical styles evolved at an overwhelmingly faster pace than before.
Connecting with SoundCloud Rap
The SoundCloud Rap scene of the late 2010s is also an important prehistory of Discord culture.
Many young rappers emerged from loose networks on the Internet, including XXXTentacion, Lil Peep, Smokepurpp, and Lil Pump.
They didn’t necessarily have large studios. Home recording, low budget microphones, free DAWs, YouTube tutorials. The Discord generation exists as an extension of this DIY environment.
However, the Discord generation had an even higher density of “co-production.” Dozens of creators share beats and melodies simultaneously on one server, forming trends in a short amount of time.
This was faster than the urban scene and more closed than social media.
The music culture of the Discord era was an “always-on studio” fusion of forum culture and SoundCloud culture.
Why Discord is suitable for music communities
Real-time and anonymity
The biggest reason why Discord was suitable for music culture was its real-time nature.
It’s lighter than business tools like Slack, more stable than Skype, and more closed than Twitter. Discord was optimized for communication among friends.
Music creators pitch beats late at night, receive feedback minutes later, and immediately upload revised versions. This sense of speed was incomparable to traditional music production environments.
Anonymity was also important.
In an environment where real names and backgrounds are not required, ““sound’’ becomes a criterion for evaluation rather than age or nationality. It’s no longer uncommon for teenage creators to find listeners all over the world.
Small cultural area formed by each server
In Discord, each server has its own unique culture.
Distorted 808s are prevalent on one server, while ambient vocal processing is shared on another. Each server had its own aesthetic, including memes, tone, artwork, and even font feel.
This structure is similar to the local punk scene of the 1980s. However, the crucial difference is that it is formed not by geography but by algorithms and invitation links.
Voice chat culture
Discord’s unique voice chat culture was also important.
Assemble beats in real time while sharing the production screen. Multiple people come up with ideas at the same time. Modify plugin settings on the fly.
The traditional “studio session” has been moved online.
This format expanded rapidly, especially during the pandemic. While physical movement was restricted, Discord functioned as an online collaboration space.
Discord was not a social networking service, but a virtual studio for the online era.
Hyperpop and Discord Community
Network, not genre
Hyperpop is not a simple music genre. It was an Internet feeling.
Extreme pitch processing. distorted base. A mix of EDM, emo, trap, nightcore, and pop-punk. Fast and piecemeal deployment.
These sounds weren’t just shaped by Spotify playlists. It quickly spread, being shared, imitated, and transformed by the community on Discord.
After 100 gecs, many young producers began to adopt Hyperpop techniques. YouTube tutorials and Discord servers became huge educational devices.
vocal chain. Distortion settings. How to make 808. glitch effect.
By sharing these things at high speed, Hyperpop has transformed into a community-based style rather than just an artist-based style.
Meme and music fusion
Meme culture was very important in music during the Discord generation.
short phrase. Excessive processing. irony. Internet slang.
Music was not only something to listen to, but also material to be shared. Connection with TikTok will also be important here.
Music created on Discord is spread on TikTok and fed back to Discord. This cycle has resulted in extremely short trend lifespans.
Rapid mutation of genres
Around Hyperpop, genre names were generated one after another.
Digicore. Glitchcore. HexD. Sigilkore.
These names do not necessarily have clear definitions. Rather, it functioned as a shared atmosphere within the Discord community.
In other words, genre was not ““strict music theory,” but ““what a community calls itself.”
Genres in the Discord era were shaped more by community empathy than by music theory.
Digicore and the teenage internet generation
Feelings after Bedroom Pop
Digicore is an online music community that expanded around 2020.
High range vocals. Game sound. emotional lyrics. Short composition.
Many of them were made by teenage creators.
While the Bedroom Pop generation popularized ““home recording”, the Digicore generation has made ““internet collaboration” the norm.
For them, music production is not a solitary creation. It was a collaborative work that took place in an always-online conversation space.
Collective culture
A collective culture was important at Digicore.
Small groups form on Discord and participate in each other’s songs. Producers, vocalists, art staff, and video staff collaborate fluidly.
This structure differs from traditional “fixed bands.”
Rather, it’s closer to hip-hop crews and anonymous bulletin board culture in the Internet era. Members changed frequently and project names were in flux.
Connection with TikTok
TikTok’s short-form culture was a great match for Digicore.
The structure of the chorus. strong hook. A sound that leaves an impression in seconds.
In the Discord community, there were times when people were even conscious of ““which parts are likely to be cut out.’’
This is very different from the traditional album-centered culture. The fragments became more important than the whole song.
The Digicore generation built music around “shared seconds” rather than albums.
DIY spirit in the era of Discord
Era of no need for labels
The Discord generation of musicians didn’t require a traditional label.
DAWs became cheaper, distribution services enabled personal uploading, and SNS had advertising functions.
As a result, all that was needed was a “community.”
Discord servers will partially replace the role previously held by labels.
Discovering new talent. feedback. Collaborative coordination. Visual sharing. Promotion.
These activities began to take place within the community.
Tutorial Culture
The Discord community also had a strong educational aspect.
Beginners ask questions about FL Studio settings, and experienced users immediately respond. Mixing methods are shared. Sample packs will be distributed.
Knowledge that previously required vocational school or studio experience can now be rapidly shared within the community.
This further democratized music production.
Connection with Piracy Culture
On the other hand, there were gray areas such as plug-in sharing and unofficial sample distribution.
Particularly in communities with many young creators, access to expensive software was often not possible.
As a result, a production environment was sometimes constructed as an extension of the piracy culture that has continued since the early days of the Internet.
This is also the complicated reality of online music culture.
The DIY spirit of the Discord era expanded to include both technology sharing and informal culture.
Pandemic and online music community
Acceleration after 2020
The 2020 pandemic further accelerated Discord community culture.
Live music venues were shut down, club events were suspended, and many young people were confined to their rooms.
In this context, Discord functions not only as a chat tool but also as a “place”.
Music production. Chat. game. Late night call. Online live.
The intermingling of these activities has led to the formation of a vast Internet community.
Live culture in virtual space
Listening parties and streaming events were also frequently held on Discord.
Write your impressions while simultaneously playing new songs on SoundCloud. The creator himself will broadcast the production process.
This was a different experience from traditional live music venues.
The distance between the audience and the creator is extremely close. The comment section becomes a community space.
Solitude and Connection
There was also a strong sense of isolation in Discord culture during the pandemic.
Late night calls. Short-lived online friendships. Anonymous emotion sharing.
This online living environment is also behind the increase in introspective themes around Digicore and Emo Rap.
During the pandemic, the Discord community was both a space for creation and a space for emotional sharing.
Genre formation in the Internet era
Genre name generation speed
Genres in the Internet era proliferate at an extremely rapid rate.
A new name is born only within a Discord server of several hundred people. It is then spread on TikTok and SoundCloud.
Traditionally, music magazines and record stores organized genres. However, in the Discord era, the community itself generates the name.
Ambiguity itself becomes a feature
Terms like Digicore and HexD often don’t have strict definitions.
However, even within the community, a sense of common sense is established.
This is close to the early days of club culture. In the beginning, house and techno were more about sharing a sense than having a clear definition.
Discord culture has made it even faster.
Micro-genreization
The algorithmic environment of Spotify and TikTok has made it possible for even small-scale genres to succeed.
If there is an enthusiastic community of tens of thousands of people, it becomes commercially viable.
As a result, the Discord community has moved toward forming a “mini-enthusiast” rather than aiming for a “huge mainstream.”
Genres in the Discord era are based on “community density” rather than popularization.
Algorithms and Community
Interaction with TikTok
Discord alone is unlikely to cause large-scale spread. TikTok was important here.
Song fragments born on Discord flow to TikTok, become memes, and then return to Discord.
This cycle has led to extremely rapid trend formation.
Spotify playlist culture
Spotify’s algorithmic recommendations were also important.
More and more small-scale artists are being discovered through playlists. As a result, the possibility that artists from the Discord community will be connected to major distribution has increased.
Optimization to the algorithm
On the other hand, reliance on algorithms has changed the musical structure itself.
short intro. The chorus hits right away. Highly stimulating sound image.
These characteristics are closely tied to TikTok and the short video environment.
Algorithmic analysis itself was sometimes a topic of conversation in the Discord community.
Music in the Discord era is simultaneously formed by human communities and algorithmic environments.
Visual culture and avatar aesthetics
Profile image from jacket
In the Discord generation, the importance of the traditional “album jacket” has decreased relatively.
Instead, profile images, GIFs, short videos, and animated icons became important.
This is a visual culture unique to the SNS era.
Fusion with gaming culture
Discord was originally a service that expanded from the gaming culture.
As a result, the game-like feel is deeply embedded in the music community.
8bit style sound. RPG-like worldview. Anime visual. Feels like voice chat.
These elements were often seen around Digicore and Hyperpop.
Anonymity and Avatars
Avatar culture was also important.
No need to show your face. Real name not required.
The result is a different feel than traditional star systems.
Listeners have become more connected to “online presence” than “personality.”
In the Discord era, the image of artists became closer to “internet personalities” rather than real-life stars.
Discord community issues
Closedness
The Discord community also has a strong sense of insularity.
Invitation-only server. Internal meme. Unique rules.
While these structures strengthen community cohesion, they also raise barriers to new participation.
Excess speed
Another characteristic was that trends changed too quickly.
Genres change and trends disappear in a matter of weeks.
As a result, there has been an increase in cases where producers are becoming exhausted.
Mental load
The always-on culture also places a heavy mental burden on people.
Late night call. notification. Immediate reaction.
With the intrusion of online communities into our lives, the issue of burnout has become a frequent topic of conversation.
Collision with commercialization
When Discord culture achieves commercial success, it also loses its “underground feel.”
Within the community, there was quite a bit of backlash against becoming a major player.
While the Discord community has strong creativity, it also suffers from insularity and rapid consumption.
Movement timeline from Discord
In a short period of time, Discord has transformed into the central infrastructure of Internet music culture.
Discord community structure diagram
In the Discord community, production, criticism, and dissemination proceeded simultaneously in a single space.
Comparison with conventional scenes
Discord servers have replaced the role played by local communities online.
The legacy of Discord music culture
Scenes freed from geography
The biggest change in the Discord era was that the music scene was freed from geography.
Local city. abroad. Minor.
Discord communities are now allowing people who would otherwise have difficulty connecting to the music industry to access the world.
Shared culture “in the middle”
What was even more important was a culture in which the ““unfinished state’’ was shared.
demo. piece. loop.
Not only the finished product, but also the production process itself becomes a community interaction.
This is very different from traditional music production culture.
Complete fusion of music and SNS
In the Discord generation, music and communication are no longer separated.
conversation. Meme. game. movie. Music production.
These are mixed together in the same space.
As a result, music genres no longer stand alone but have become part of the ““online community experience.’’
The Discord movement has transformed music from a “work” to a “connection space.”
Conclusion
The era when servers become culture
Cities were important in the history of music in the 20th century.
new york. London. Berlin. Detroit.
However, since the 2020s, that map has changed significantly.
Young creators gather on Discord servers before clubs, open voice chats before studios, and post on TikTok before live houses.
There, genres, friendships, and trends emerge and disappear at extreme speed.
The music movement originating from the Discord community is more than just an internet fad. It was a cultural change that rewrote the very definition of ““what is a music scene?’’
And even now, new genre names are being created on servers somewhere, countless unfinished demos are being shared, and the next movement continues to be formed.
The music culture of the Discord era is a new underground scene formed not by cities but by “connections.”
