J-Connect Ponorogo Community's Reception of The Cover Songs “Memories” and “GO!!!” By Fernando Faustino

Abstract

This research examines the J-Connect Ponorogo community's reception of Fernando Faustino's “Memories” and “GO!!!” cover songs using Stuart Hall's encoding-decoding theory. Studies on local community reception of Japanese cover songs are still limited, even though this phenomenon is important in global-local cultural adaptation and community identity formation, especially in non-urban areas. The aim was to analyze community members' perceptions of cover songs and the impact on how they interpret them. Through a qualitative approach with a questionnaire to 10 community members and data analysis of the Miles-Huberman interactive model, the results showed: ‘negotiated reader’ position with nostalgia and Indonesian language adaptation as dominant influences. The significant impact of cover songs in three aspects: Understanding the meaning of the original song, Strengthening community identity, Changes in media consumption patterns. The findings reinforce the relevance of the encoding-decoding model in the digital age and provide practical insights for content creators, fan communities, and digital platform developers.