Contemporary discourses in platform studies disproportionately address online platforms, thereby privileging “streaming cultures.” In regions where the Internet bandwidth necessary to stream content is unavailable, people go to “download vendors” who put content (songs, music videos, television shows, etc.) onto flash memory technologies like memory cards and USB sticks. Memory cards are part of vibrant vernacular soundscapes in India, and after the cassette and DVD revolutions, have become the “New Media” objects that attach themselves to various platform ecosystems. Such ecosystems are based on informal practices and network logics, and act as both intermediaries and foundations, providing users opportunities to share and participate. Based on fieldwork in the Mewat and Gaya regions of India, this talk offers an exploration of the offline digital platforms that enable “download cultures.” I argue that attending to the memory card phenomena helps us track the diverse circuits and bazaar atmospherics through which songs and music videos circulate across spaces where digitality is beyond Internet.
