Does the music industry create the market?

The music industry does control and create the market the majority of the time as they are well aware of what music sells and what the public want. The industry is concerned with making money so they are more likely to sign and support artists which have a sound they believe will make them money and sell well going off current trends and popular bands. An example of this is the boy band phase when many boy bands were put together despite many of them having a similar sound. Some theorists argue that the whole music industry is controlled by the market and everything that is sold is so according to their plan. They also argue that this results in most popular music that sells well sounding the same. However an argument against this is that everything does not sound the same and the market cannot physically make you buy particular music. Also not everything sells that is marketed. Recording companies are going to want to advertise sound a like bands to those that sell and make money.

are Blackness&whiteness useful concepts in the study of popular music?

The concepts of blackness and whiteness are very difficult to define. It can be useful when looking at popular music as it does help when putting music into catorgories and looking at the beats and structure of a song. Some people find it useful to place music into these catorgories as it can give people an idea of what they can expect to listen to. However it is not always helpful to use these concepts as it disregards everything else and reduces everything down to race and many people listen to many genres of music regardless of the race/ethnicity of the artist. Ethnicity is still a very important topic in history but in terms of popular music in todays society it is not as important as the seperation is no longer there. Also artists are no longer confined to one genre of music that depends on whether they are black or white.

Are subcultures a sign of revolt or an expression of style?

Stan Cohen defined a subculture as

“an episode, condition, person or group of persons" that has in recent times
been defined as a threat to societal values and interests”

Taking that definition subcultures can be a sign of revolt shown by the “skinhead” subculture who were often linked with crime, being working class and listening to music genres such as Ska. Some people argue that their behaviors and their expression of style shown by the way they dressed and the slogans they used were just their way of reacting to the economical and political situations of the times. Another famous subculture is that of the “punks” Their expression of style was seen in their shocking art works, lyrics and clothes that were very different to that of their parents. The sex pistols are a good example of this as they tried to outrage society with their behavior and their song "god save the queen" with shocking album art. However these signs of revolt could have been their way of dealing with the strikes of the 1970s and the political unrest. Some say they were simply trying to be creative with the mess. Subcultures can be both a sign of revolt and an expression of style.

can popular music be a genuine force for political change?

Popular music can be a genuine force for political change in one respect but it cannot completely change anything or everyone’s opinions. It can however help to raise awareness demonstrated by concerts such as live aid which was started to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia. Although this cannot change the situation in countries or completely change peoples views on political issues it can however teach people about important issues happening around the world and can help shape opinions that can influence their decisions in such things as voting. Sports teams such as football teams have anthems that can often take a political stand and supporters often join in with chants that overpower others. In this same way some popular music artists write clearly political lyrics that people can choose to follow. But in the wider scheme of things it is only what people choose to take away from it.

Is DRM the best way to save the music industry

Digital rights management:

“is a class of technologies that allow rights owners to set and enforce terms by which people use their intellectual property.”

It is very difficult to see if DRM is the best way to save the music industry as some debate whether it actually needs saving at all.
DRM is a positive thing because it helps ensure a fair use of music and helps artists and their record companies receive money that many are concerned with. Because of this the artist can know with it there is less piracy. However many people still illegally download music despite these rules and the threat of getting caught. DRM cannot fully stop illegal downloads as there will always be people setting up new networks. Some argue it has a negative effect on society. Having no DRM on files can have a positive effect, as people can sample an artist’s music and this may lead them to go out and buy more music. There are extras with the CD which encourages people to still purchase music. iTunes has removed DRM on some of their tracks as they can see it is unpopular, these tracks cost more but can be shared on an unlimited number of computers unlike the normal tracks which can only be shared on 5. DRM may not be the best way to save the music industry because along as there is a market for free downloads people will continue to do so.

Can popular music ever really be unplugged?

Unplugged music means music that doesn’t use technology.

In today’s society it is very difficult to do many things without the aid of some technology. In music terms this includes things like recording equipment, sound technology and electronic instruments.

In order to make music ‘popular’ it has to be distributed and this is extremely hard without the aid of technology. It would be much more difficult for the artist to record the songs and hard for it to reach a wide audience in order to make it popular. Some genres of music also heavily rely on technology to give them their desired sounds that make them unique. Although some argue ‘popular’ music can be unplugged demonstrated by live bands and acoustic artists, there is often still some technology involved. In a liver performance a singer would need a microphone in order for the audience to hear over the other instruments that in most cases also use technology such as an amplifier. There are some exceptions however such as freestyle music and some rap but this is often aimed at a smaller audience but if recorded would still use technology if it was put onto CDs.

What is world music and why does it exist?

World music is often very difficult to define and it relates to the argument about what is local or global music. These categories over link and it is very difficult to define whether a band or artist is either local or global. Jocelyne Guilbault argues that World music was once thought of as any thing that came from outside the

“Anglo-American sources, and mainly from tropical countries”

(Guilbault, world music, pg 176) she later states that this has now expanded to some of Europe. She later states that

“….world music is usually described the as blending of modern and traditional
musics”

(Guilbault, world music, pg 177) Despite this it has been argued that countries such as America and England have become damaging to world music as they are increasingly selling it, in many music shops World music has its own section. This is because these other countries now have the technology to develop and sell music which then finds its way to places like America. Some argue this is taking it away from its local routes, however others argue that this is a positive thing as more people will get to experience it, and it will always have its local routes.

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

To first determine whether music is an art form we first have to define what is meant by art. This is very complicated as many people have a different opinion. For this I believe art is anything that is an expression, maybe somebody’s feelings, that can be interpreted in a million different ways by many different people. This is the same for music in some people’s opinions as music has an effect on many people and like art lyrics are usually written at that moment and have specific meanings to the writer. These meanings may be interpreted differently however by others. On the other hand Adorno argues that music is simply as mass produced commodity that just feeds the capitalist people only to keep them satisfied and to stop them from “questioning social life” Although his critique was based on Jazz it can be applied to today’s ‘popular’ music. However art can also be mass produced for example that Andy Warhol pieces. Music will still continue to influence people all over the world.

060503 What are strengths and weaknesses of Peterson’s production of culture perspective on the birth of Rock and Roll?

Peterson’s Production of culture is a theory that contributes to our understanding of Rock and Roll. He described how it was formed and what it consists of. He also told of why the birth of Rock and Roll came about. One of his main strengths is that he concentrated on the theory side, focusing mainly on legal issues and the changing technology such as new thinner, vinyl’s which were easier to transport and harder to break. However his theory has many weaknesses such as he ignored factors such as the artists themselves and the audiences who were listening. Rock and Roll was new and different to what people had been listening too and Peterson ignored this too. This music was especially different to the younger generation and was seen as a way to rebel against their parents. Overall Peterson’s production of culture is useful as it helps define the birth of Rock and Roll, however it contains many weaknesses and misses out some important issues that would have made his theory much stronger.

What is popular music?

The term popular music means different things to different people so it is very hard to define. Its definition had changed over the decades and people’s opinions about it and around it are different. The oxford English dictionary defines popular as “liked or enjoyed by a large number of people” Despite this also being many peoples first understanding, its meaning is much wider. Raymound Williams defined it as a term that came from a legal term ‘popularis’ which meant belonging to the people.
Popular music has changed throughout history. In the 16th century it was considered vulgar and ‘of the common people’ but by the 18th and 19th century it was heavily favoured. It can be said that popular music is easily accessible and is commercially orientated meaning it is made for profit. Folk music was seen as popular music which was made in small rural communities. Everyone has a different view on what is popular.