Is the audience for popular music created by the music industry?

Many major record label are owned by global corporations, who do not deal solely in music, and have control over advertising and marketing, which audience see what, and when. for example on sites such as youtube they can determine what adverts are shown to when viewing a particular song.

The music industry is largely based on profit. Record companies invest in artists, and fund the marketing and production stages, therefore in the interest of profit, often have the final say on artistic decisions as well. They can control what the artists produce, which ultimately controls what the audience listen to.

If the audience is not pro-active in finding music, they can then be easily influenced by this specific advertising, and often songs become popular, not through the artists talent, but through TV appearances, ‘plugs’ on the radio or media hype. In short the audience can only listen to material which is produced and available.

Kerrang! Magazine review

Kerrang! magazine claims to be the ‘world’s biggest selling weekly rock magazine’, at least that’s what their website says! Crammed full of moody, uncaring, generic rock bands who  never seem to smile, it seems to be aimed at mid to late teenagers going through a goth/emo/alternative phase. The adverts seem to reflect the age range and in the latest issue they offer ‘FREE GIANT POSTERS! & STICKERS!’, not something likely to excite the older reader.

The writing is slightly sarcastic, and clearly aimed at younger readers, although this hardly matters as the magazine is largely picture based with very small text. It offers interviews and reviews on rock bands, many outside of the mainstream music scene, but would appeal to those hardcore fans who follow their favourite bands everywhere.

Kerrang! focusses more on the image and persona of the Rock Star, rather than the music itself.

Are 'blackness' and 'whiteness' useful concepts in the study of popular music?

It is important to recognise the origins and influences of different genres of music but it is difficult to categorize music as either black or white. Music styles are not exclusive to any one particular group of people, and although black or white origins may be apparent in certain genres, there are always exceptions within the artists and audience. Elvis Presley and Eminem are two famous examples of artists who have been extremely successful in what is considered to be music of black origin.

Hatch and Millward suggest that pop music is dependent on on the 'interaction between white and black traditions’. The fusion of different types of music creates new genres which are neither specifically of black or white origin but a combination of both. Rock and Roll for example, is a mixture of Rhythm and Blues and Country music.

Does the emergence of the digital download signal the end for the music industry?

When looking at piracy through digital file sharing, Condry suggests that the idea of people sharing music ‘just to get something for free’ is ‘over simplistic’.(2004). People do not simply download music illegally in place of paying for it, as Lessig suggests, but also to sample before buying, find copyrighted material which is no longer available to buy, or to get non-copyrighted material.

Many artists have benefited from the downloading of their music; by reaching wider audiences or encouraging them to buy more of their material or to see them live. Radiohead’s album ‘In Rainbows’ was sold for an average of about £5 despite being available to download for free. 

When recordable cassettes were first introduced the issue of piracy was raised. Home recording did not ruin the music industry, and neither will file sharing. People will pay for music they like regardless of being able to download it for free.

Can popular music achieve genuine political change?

It is very difficult to quantify what effect music can have in a political sense as it if impossible to identify the full effects. Although a song itself can have no actual power to change things, John Street asserts that music has the potential to influence and change opinions. Artists have often made political statements within their work, and although this may raise awareness about particular issues, it is unlikely to lead to political change, as only specific audiences are being reached. Popularity also plays a part as fans may respect and mimic view of the artists they admire.

There have been attempts to make a change through music which have been unsuccessful, however Band Aid and what followed, proved to have a strong influence, as the outcome was shown through the money raised. This was achieved through a mixture of the artist involved, constant media attention and the emotive lyrics within the song.

What is world music?

The standardised ‘popular’ music genre is based around Anglo-American culture, and the English language. However, there is not a single definition of what ‘World Music’ is, as there is such a wide variety of styles, but simply that it does not conform to this standardised form of ‘popular’ music, and instead comprises of indigenous sounds, musical instruments and languages.

The divide may have been made greater by the differences in technology between the Western world and other cultures, which allowed this Anglo-American music to become global, through distribution and audiences, and thus separating it from the rest of the world. Shuker and Laing both suggest that the popularity of this type of music, is partly a rebellion against ‘parental national culture’. 

There are often crossovers within music, with sounds, instruments and languages all being used to create ‘popular’ music, bringing the world music into the global sector.

Is popular music a mass produced commodity or a genuine art form?

Art can be defined as a unique, creative expression, which is self critical, self aware and self reflective. It is difficult to place popular music solely into this category. Are songs a form of self expression or are they a product used to make money? 

Theodor Adorno suggests that popular music is not art but is a mass produced commodity which is standardized through part interchangeability and pseudo individualization, i.e. songs are reused, repackaged and re-marketed, which suggests that all unique creativity is lost. The X-Factor backs up this suggestion as finalists have often covered recent ‘hits’ because they are already well known and likely to sell, and not in an attempt something new to the song.

However many artists will cover a song and bring new feeling and expression to it. There are many artists who have great talent and show creative expression through music. And many people would considered their work an art form.