Biography
Nathália Andrião Trotta holds a degree in music with an emphasis in piano from the Villa-Lobos Music Conservatory (2006-2012), a Bachelor's degree in Music Education (2013-2017), and a Master's degree in Musicology (2019-2021), all from the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO). Currently, Nathália is in the second year of her doctoral studies in "Musical Sciences (Ethnomusicology)" at NOVA-FCSH with an FCT scholarship, where she is conducting research on contemporary music production among independent music labels in Brazil and Portugal. As a research scholar, Nathália was awarded the "Teaching Initiation" scholarship (CAPES) from 2015 to 2018. She also served as a voluntary scholar in the projects "Jazz Trio Workshop," "Exchanges," "Inter: Mundo e universidade," and "UNIRIO Opera" at UNIRIO and was a member of the student nucleus in the institution's academic directory. During the same period (2015-2017), she interned at the Villa-Lobos Museum in the field of museology. In 2020, Nathália became the Brazilian representative of the MUSEXPLAT group (Musica Experimental Latinoamericana) and since 2021, has also been part of the "Frequência Dissonante" collective. Currently, Nathália is part of the research group Music: history, memory, and archives (UNIRIO) and Ethnomusicology and Studies in Popular Music at INET-md by NOVA-FCSH. She is a member of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM-Portugal) and volunteers in the sound archive area at the National Museum of Ethnology in Lisbon.
Doctoral Project
Title
DIY/DIT BR-PT: The contemporary music scene among independent music labels in Brazil and Portugal
Advisors
Abstract
Although research related to independent music production constitutes an increasingly visible object of study in the global academic context, there is a gap in comparative approaches in international contexts. This investigation aims to conduct an ethnomusicological study from a multi-situated perspective regarding the practices of musical production in the independent context with phonographic labels in Brazil and Portugal during the period between 2005 and 2025. By focusing on discussions about the independent music industry and the DIY (Do It Yourself) and DIT (Do It Together) movements, it is of interest to establish a parallel between the two cultural contexts and compare the two music scenes in Portugal and Brazil. As a case study, four labels situated in Lisbon, Porto, and Rio de Janeiro are proposed at this initial stage: Cafetra (Lisbon), Lovers and Lollypops (Porto), Efusiva, and Transfusão Noise (Rio de Janeiro). However, these research objects may be altered if not accepted by the stakeholders. Among other topics, self-management of cultural spaces will be investigated; the relationship that musical production has with cities; the current labor context in which the musician/worker is inserted and the disparity between social genders; the commercial strategies of the labels and their target audiences. Through an ethnographic and musicological approach, the methodology focuses on participant observation of musical production activities, in this case, referring to rehearsals, jam sessions, pre-production processes, production, and post-production, and activities related to promotion, such as concerts, showcases, and record releases promoted by the labels. Through a dialogical process with the involved stakeholders, structured and semi-structured interviews will additionally be conducted to carry out a press investigation, archive, and iconography with the purpose of understanding local musical production and the economic and social factors that influence individuals involved in musical practice. Thus, through a well-structured contextualization, it will be possible to identify different discourses about a specific sector of Luso-Brazilian musical production, as well as to develop a reflection on commercialization, musical production, and its socio-economic, cultural, and performative implications in markets as differentiated as Brazilian and Portuguese.
Keywords: Comparative ethnography; DIY/DIT; independent labels; musical sociability; Luso-Brazilian relationship in music.
Funding: Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (2023.05654.BD)
