Abstract

The paper sheds light on Indie and Underground music scenes in Astana and Almaty based on the data collected through 56 in-depth interviews with musicians and music experts and 16 observations conducted from August 2024 until August 2025. Building on concepts of music fans as mediators (Arriagada and Cruz, 2014) and executive fans (Edlom and Karlsson, 2021), the work views local alternative musicians as musicians/music fans. It outlines the fusion of roles as an important characteristic of the music scene and acknowledges the role of fandom in developing the scene. The research outlines participatory and convergence culture (Jenkins, 2013) as facilitators that allowed musicians/music fans to create communities, independent organizations and micro labels. I demonstrate how local musicians are driven by the love for music and take on organizational responsibilities like opening venues, organizing concerts, music residencies, generating knowledge, and popularizing the scene among the audience. The work also outlines collaboration and relational labor (Baym, 2018) as strategies musicians use to enter the music scene and gain financial stability. It discusses the gender issues and power dynamics in the scene that create some challenges for female artists.