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

The music industry plays a huge part in circulation of popular music to the audience through merchandise, retail and press sectors in particular. Even artists such as Price who claim to be removed from the constraints of a record label is actually in elligence with one of the 4 dominant powers.

With the constant rotation present within popular music of something being original and quickly cloned multiple times; the industry is showing clear signs of supporting Adorno's 1940s statement of ‘standardisation extends from the most general features to the most specific ones’. Creating a quick fortune and a clear example of if something is played enough it becomes a “trend”.

There are examples of rebellion to this idea, however- examples such as Kings of Leon at current being played “too much”, and Radiohead and NIN going solo to release albums.

However, the press they made from this created a huge rise in live ticket sales for them, proving perhaps that the industry really does have a huge role in creating an audience for popular music.

Are Blackness and Whiteness useful concepts in the study of popular music?

Race is a prominent aspect of life, therefore any part of popular culture has to be influenced and refer to it to some degree. Often there is too much emphasis on the divide between black and white, especially in today's politically correct society.

Many key genres and legendary artists have been created through the transferral of what can be seen as “black” and “white” music- Elvis Presley covering black artists to make hugely famous hits and often said to spark the Roll n Roll genre, Eric Clapton covering Bob Marley and making his music accessible to the mainstream, Eminem as a white raper, and Jay-Z more recently covering classics such as Wonderwall to evolve the RnB genre.

Blackness and Whiteness is often merged in popular music by these ever developing genres. It takes away the barriers and allows artists to create new ways to express their cultural identity to match the ever changing multicultural world, but also allows them to be dependent on each other.

Can popular music achieve genuine political change?

Politics finds a natural place in popular music. Rage and Bob Marley demonstrates this lyrically. Even without preaching during gigs and hosting big “world changing” events these alone can be argued to achieve political change through simple awareness.

Where this topic is debated is displayed in the event Live Aid. Many artists appeared to be more involved in selling their latest single than helping climate change or poverty (especially those who travelled in private planes). The original Band Aid, however, conveys the other side of political events. It clearly raised awareness and raised over $50 million- described by Shuker as “a means of raising both consciousness about and funds for political causes.’

Popular music may not be able to change politics but is certainly can raise awareness, which is sometimes all that is possible in countries where Governments use such raised money to fund the Army instead of helping the needed. A recent example of awareness helping political change is with the amount of bands using their spot in the limelight to support the Obama campaign in the American election.

Are youth subcultures genuine signs of revolt or simply the manifestation of style?

Most people can be found present in youth subculture through the desire to be original. Style plays a natural part in this hormonal identity crisis as a simple and dramatic exploration of this. Clothing is also used to feel included in a subculture in an uniform-like fashion, but is also used by the “other” by way of identifying a threat. Hebdige explains "Subcultural youth, as the social Other to the parent culture, produce new codes and means of signification, new meanings and ways of meaning, which "take on a symbolic dimension, becoming a form of stigmata, tokens of self-imposed exile" (Hebdige, 1979).

Uniform subcultural style is easily found through industry cashing in. Today you can walk into “alternative” stores and pick up your ready made safety pinned skirt or torn jeans. This is often criticised as causing the death of subcultural style; however even at the beginning of Punk Vivianne Westwood and her “Sex” shop was already creating this trend of marketing subcultures.

It appears through a persistent cycle of trends that youth subcultures are neither simply a revolt or manifestation of style- just the simple exploration of the self.

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

The end of the music industry will strike when people stop listening and stop spending their money. Many argue that the digital downloads' transferable ease is the industry's biggest threat, despite the previous piracy lurking in copied CD's and cassette recordings. There will always be an industry for product, however. The come back of the vinyl is evidence enough for this; people like to be able to physically hold music in their hands and not have the treat of an accidental deletion.

It has also been argued that the end of the industry is threatened by the solitary selection that people are now encouraged to make; through one track downloads, portable headsets and most dramatically silent discos.

What people should really looking at, however, is not the end of the industry but the development. The less people are paying out on recorded music, the more they are paying out on live performance. If anything this saves the industry as it brings us back to the community based way of listening that recorded music has forgotten.

Can popular music ever really be unplugged?

Today the word unplugged is most often used to promote a “stripped down” performance by an artist who usually exploits the wonderful world of technology. When watching such performances look at what is used; the instruments, recording equipments, promotion, transmission; they may be stripped of their mass of pedals and knobs but there is always an electrical air surrounding this unplugged state.

The problem that lies within this question is where the line of unplugged is drawn. Through the invention of the microphone to enhance sound recording and radio industry, to the invention of the amplifier allowing us to fill music venues and share the sound; the music we listen to and how it reaches us is shaped.

Arguably a true unplugged state would be a bunch of hippies jamming around a camp fire, or even possibly Opera performances, but in reality there is a reason why this technology has advanced; to give us the high quality sound and experiences that we demand. Whether that content is acoustic or being beat out on a Gibson SG even to be unplugged depends on being plugged in occasionally.

World Music

When you enter a music shop the term “World Music” is used loosely to describe the other; whether that be foreign language, national beats or even western style music from another country. The confusion is extended further when trying to explain the context of such music; would you call a traditional African based tribal band Local or Global? And would this change depending on their worldwide success?

There has been great suspicion around the market of mass organizations picking up “Local” imitations and making money out of the “real deal”. Another criticism is with the cultural imperialism aspect of moving western trends into more traditional countries; relating to the death of “Local” sounds.

The main question, however, is is there such a thing as an indigenous sound? Does the term “Local” even exist with every culture being built up over time through influence of other countries? I believe this development of music is simply that; look at the Beatles positive use and exposure of the sitar on their record.

Is Popular Music a mass produced commodity or a genuine Art form?

Adorno's piece focuses heavily on the comparison of popular and serious music. He argues that “Popular” music is to blame for a decay within art and, through it's simplicity and mass produced nature, it has led to music becoming standardized.

He counters this by praising classical, or “Serious” music, for its ability to be appreciated within the art circle and it's creative complexity.
The trend of manufactured artists within the popular music industry supports Adorno's theory through their replicated construction, leading to the industry becoming predigested.

However, due to the competitiveness of the genre more artists are being forced to play their own instruments to compete and be original, therefore making it unfair to judge the genre as a whole.

Adorno links music with individualism, freedom and happiness and the fight against capitalism, making it even more understandable for his criticism of popular music with its nature being so heavily influenced by modern culture and industry.

How useful is Peterson's production of culture perspective in understanding the birth of rock 'n' roll?

Peterson appears to forget what rock and roll is all about in his piece on it's birth. He clearly outlines the clinical production process of the industry through focusing on the fight to be different on radio to the accessibility of the vinyl records. At no point does he ever give reference to the music itself.

He even goes as far as to discard the talent of the early blues and country musicians who's talent clearly gave at least inspiration to the generation of rock music, let alone contribute to it's birth.

The genre of rock and roll has always focused heavily on attitude and sound; the desirability of picking up a simple structured song and enter fantasy land for a whole 3 and a half minutes. To not explore the development of the musicians and instruments within the genre leaves his piece cold and patchy.