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.