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.

How useful is a production of culture perspective in understanding the birth of Rock and Roll?

From looking at Socio-cultural circumstances it is clear that Rock and Roll did not emerge from one single event but from a combination of social and economic changes that allowed for this.

In ‘Popular Music’ (1990) Peterson suggests that Rock and Roll emerges in 1955 due to changes in the law, technology, industry and organisation structures, occupational careers and the market itself. Although this shows why Rock and Roll was able to break through at this time, it fails to consider the audience, or the feeling, emotion and drive behind the music itself.

There have been examples of what could be considered Rock and Roll songs throughout the 1940’s and early ’50‘s and music is often reactionary, being influenced by what has gone before. With this in mind, it seems impossible to pinpoint the reasons for the emergence of Rock and Roll without looking at musical factors too.

Is it reasonable to consider that rock music is gendered male?

It very rare to have an all female Rock band (who play their own instruments!) whereas it is very common to see men in this position. In a recent poll of the top 100 guitar players there were no females listed in the top 50, and very few in the poll as a whole. Mavis Bayton suggests that the reason for this clear gender divide within Rock music is ‘entirely social’ rather than due to any physiological reason. 

Rock music is often shown to be a sexual expression and the guitar, which is generally seen as a masculine instrument, is sometimes used to denote the phallic symbol, as famously expressed on stage by Prince. 

There are of course exceptions to the rule with female guitarists and vocalists making Rock music, although it is not as common. And the attitude and feel of the music is more often seen as masculine.

Can popular music ever be unplugged?

The concept of music existing without any technology, or electrical input, and therefore being truly unplugged seems implausible. For popular music to be classed as popular, suggests that it is heard and liked by many people. The only viable way to have music heard by large audiences is to first record it, which involves an electronic input, even if nothing else is electronically enhanced. 

Manu genres of music also rely on electronic technology to create their music, from uses of the microphone, amplification of sound, to an almost infinite number of tracks to record on.

For many artists it is virtually impossible to play a truly acoustic gig, or get a clear recording without microphones or amplification, due to acoustics and projection. The voice, if nothing else is almost always picked up by a microphone and often the instruments will be amplified in some way, even if it's simply a keyboard or electro acoustic guitar, plugged into an amp.

What is popular music?

The word popular simply means “liked and enjoyed by many people”. Although when appended to music often refers to a specific type of music known as ‘pop’.  The term popular in fact covers genres from Rock to R&B to Hip Hop and everything in between. 

The Top 40 Chart, decided by record and download sales is used as an indication of what people are buying and therefore listening to. But is it always an accurate representation of popular music?

The recent X Factor Vx Rage Against The Machines battle in 2009, for Christmas No:1 showed that the chart is becoming less about good music and talent but more of a popularity contest. Suggesting that music can be popular without actually being good. Thousands of people bought both the X Factor and RATM records, but can popularity of a product show true popularity of the music? For example I downloaded RATM then deleted it from my iTunes, simply in a bid to beat The X factor.