Abstract
This Chapter aims to present a review of the research literature on music information seeking and its application to popular songs and social change, with particular reference to Shanghai. Owing to its history as an immigrant city with strong foreign influence, it has developed a unique culture that combines West and East. The chapter aims to present how the history of popular songs in Shanghai shows how individual and collective identities have been constructed in interaction with contending local, national and international forces and influences. In a historical analysis, four areas are discussed in regard to music information needs: (1) a literature review on the East-West cultural exchange, (2) an examination of the expression of China's national humiliations, (3) an exploration of how cultural hegemony is exercised through the use of the Shanghainese dialect to promote Shanghai's popular songs in the local context, and (4) how Western and Asian popular songs have been promoted by and incorporated into Shanghai's contemporary society.
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