Is the audience for popular music created by the music industry

The music industry is not just made up of recording companies but is also made up of music retail, music press, music technology, music merchandising and royalties and licensing. There is an argument that the audience for popular music is created by the music industry, however usually it is the music industry that is the last ones to act on musical trends, an example being Nirvana in the 90’s starting on a small independent label before being signed to a major label leading the way for other similar artists. Though the point could be made that once a genre is successful the music industry floods the market with similar sounding music (Fenster and Swiss, 1999). Major record companies tend to discourage artists creativity and shape what the audience wants to hear however the case can be made that this is not possible an example being the almost overnight disappearance of disco music in the 70’s proving that the audience will not just take what they are given. I think the music industry is out to make a profit possible and creates or at least shapes audiences to make this easier.

A Review of NME Magazine

Take a deep breath and consider how much has changed since the New Musical Express first graced us with its presence in 1958. At only £2.30, with a mixture of gig, festival, and albums reviews the NME sits in the hinterland between mainstream pop music and underground indie. With adverts for credit cards and high end mobile phones NME is seemingly aimed at the 16 – 30 market. Reviewing all the newest music, the NME seems to be aimed at males more than females, its vocabulary neither simplistic nor over complex always setting the scene for the reader. Although sales have dropped faster than Russell brands trousers at an orgy in recent years, from an impressive 300,000 per week in 1964 to 33,875 for the first half of 2010 , I feel this is more to do with a change in market than a decrease in quality, this magazine is both entertaining and informative and there are still another three days to go until the next issue hits our shelves.

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

'Blackness' and 'Whiteness' are terms often used to describe genres of music, but they are difficult to define. Is it the artist, origins, or audience that decides whether music is ‘black’ or ‘white’?

In the 50s, and 60s artists like Elvis Presley and the Beatles covered music originally considered to be 'black' music, soon radio stations would only play white artists covers of 'black' music. Does this mean that the music becomes ‘white’ music or are the origins of the music more important?

Russell Potter (1999) said with music genres crossing over it is harder to define than ever. One example is the white artist Plan B who performs acoustic rap songs combining acoustic guitar which could be considered ‘white’ with a ‘black’ style of rapping.

Although it is difficult to categorise music into ‘black’ or ‘white,’ these terms help us understanding of the origins and development of popular music.

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

Change is not something the music industry is too fond of; nearly every technological advance in musical consumption has been opposed by them. With the introduction of the compact cassette in the 1970s the BPI launched and anti piracy campaign. The same concerns are present over digital downloads.

Just because something is free doesn’t necessarily mean people will steal it. On their album ‘In rainbows’ Radiohead did a ‘pay what you like’ scheme, were the average price paid was £4. For their new album ‘King of limbs’ they decided that when you download the album from their website you receive a CD, two 10” vinyls, and album artworks. Marketing schemes like this could be a key to competing with illegal downloads.

Ian Condry (2004) sees downloads as a new kind of radio, where the consumer becomes the DJ. He concludes that downloads do not have to be the end for the music industry and that downloading is ethical as long as the artists are supported.

Can popular music achieve genuine political change?

Popular music can be a way of raising both consciousness and funds for political causes (Shuker, 2001). Billie Holidays ‘Strange Fruit’ is a great example of music being used to promote a political consciousness. It was written as a poem by Abel Meerpol in 1937 expressing his horror about lynching. The song was called propaganda by time magazine in 1939, but in 1999 they declared it the song of the century. Music can also be used to sway voters’ political allegiances. In 1985 Red Wedge formed to try and help labour win the 1987 election, but ultimately they failed as labour lost the election. Band aid used music to raise money and awareness for famine in Africa. They raised £8 million so they were successful in their aims. It is impossible to say that music cannot instil political ideals but it is hard to say the direct effect it has on political change as often change comes from a series of events as opposed to one key event.

What is World Music?

Word music is generally viewed as indigenous music, or music that uses the sounds or instrumentation of indigenous people as opposed to Anglo-American music. The transmission of products from dominant nations creates a kind of cultural imperialism were the views, ideas and practices of the origin are endorsed (Shuker, 2002). It could be for this reason that the term world music has emerged, people trying to retain their original culture as Anglo-American culture is imported. However the term world music is quite ridiculous as all music is from the world, and it only seems to be given to music that can’t be categorised easily. For example Celine Dion’s music which is sung in French is still considered to be a pop music and not world music.  The label ‘World Music’ could simply be a way for the record companies to categorise and market music that would otherwise be hard to sell.

Blog 5 – Is popular music a mass produced commodity or a genuine art form?

Adorno (1941) said “The popular music industry is an all consuming production line that churns out mass produced, inferior commodities”. He also talked about part inter-changeability and a pseudo individualization of popular music. 

We can definitely see this in cover versions however this does not always detract from the art and it completely depends on the artist. An example is the song hallelujah – by Leonard Cohen. "Cohen murmured the original like a dirge” and in 1993 it was covered by Jeff Buckley who used John Cale’s arrangement. Buckley’s version has been described as "as near to perfect as music can get".

In 2008 it was covered by x factor winner Alexandra Burke who broke sales records with her cover which in my opinion was rubbish and had all emotion removed. This is an example of one popular song being art and being a money making commodity.

So to conclude, Pop music can be art, but it can also be mass produced rubbish!

How useful is a production of culture perspective in understanding the birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll

In his production of culture perspective Peterson (1990) looked to explain the emergence of rock ‘n’ roll in 1955. He looks at how law, technology, industry structures, organisational structures, occupational career and market impacted the breakthrough of rock ‘n’ roll.

One major flaw in Peterson’s discussion is that he fails to recognise why it was rock ‘n’ roll that broke through. It could have been any genre of music that emerged in 1955. Also he mentions technology but only concentrates on consumption rather than production, he ignores the technology that made rock ‘n’ roll sound the way it did, be it the electric guitar, amplification etc.

I feel Peterson’s production of culture perspective gives a good outline of the reasons there was space for a new genre to break through. However his exclusion of why it was rock ‘n’ roll weakens it slightly.

Is it reasonable to consider rock music gendered male?

In Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the top 100 guitarists of all time only two women appear, and in the top 50 there are no women at all. Why is this? There are no predetermined laws that say men are better guitarists than women. Bayton (1997) said “lead guitarists are made, not born. The reasons for women’s absence are entirely social”. So the issue becomes more about gender stereotypes.

Within music women are more often vocalists than instrumentalists and this may be because certain instruments have masculinity associated with them such as the electric guitar. For women to become rockers it is necessary for them to become one of the boys.

I feel that rock music is definitely gendered male, from the often derogatory lyrics to the euphemistic uses of the guitar. One quote that sums it up is “male fans buy a guitar, female fans buy a poster”.

Can Popular Music Ever Be Unplugged?

Technology shapes the kind of music we listen to, from Hip-hop to R and B to Rock, Popular music relies on technology. Instruments we hear in modern music and affects added in the production of popular music from synthesisers and auto tuners all come from technological advances.

These technologies are so deep rooted in to the culture of popular music it is near impossible to imagine a world without them, from the recording of music, to the performance of music which necessitates microphones and speakers to play to large numbers of fans. Even things that appear to be unplugged such as the mtv unplugged cd’s are all recorded on using modern technology which almost emphasises the point that technology and popular music are entwined.

In conclusion to answer the original question, NO, popular music being what it is can never be unplugged, as essentially it is these technologies that define popular music and allow it to be enjoyed by many.

What is popular music?

The term popular music means different things to different people, for some it will conjure up images of artist’s such as the Beatles and others will imagine commercial entities like ‘x-factor’. The word popular is derived from the legal term popularis meaning belonging to the people. The term was first used in conjunction with music in 1926 about a piece of music "having popular appeal". 

When thought of in the sense popular music being from and of the people in can often mean home made but these types of music are not always accessible which is what pop music is often considered to be. We also often think of pop music as music that is commercially orientated but this is not always true, making money and making art is not mutually exclusive. 

Essentially popular music builds upon the past and combines styles and influences using new technologies, which is invested with ideological significance by many of its consumers.