Week 11~Does The Music Industry Create The Market?

There is a fine line between the music industry and the consumer as to who really creates the market we listen to, obviously if we didn’t have the industry we wouldn’t have anyone to create the market as there would be no music anyway but if they didn’t have the consumer then there would be no point in having music in the first place. The two separate components need each other to work. Out of the two however I believe that the consumers create the market more than the music industry, if the consumer doesn’t like the product, the industry will get rid of it. When boy bands first arrived one part of the music industry would have been producing it but when they discovered how much of a hit it was, more parts of the industry got involved creating this market of competition but as consumers begin to grown bored with boy bands, the market withdraws again proving that its predominantly the consumer that does help create the market in the first place.

Week 10~ Write a review of "Uncut". Who is it aimed at? What is the magazine?

Uncut is a music magazine aimed at people from an older generation than the traditional consumers of the music periodical, an association that has been formed that the modern generation read other journals while “Uncut” is for a older and higher social status individual. This is exemplified by its use of intelligent language and references to the past including bibliographies of famous artists. Every edition also contains a review of the most recent releases of albums and singles in alphabetical order for the consumers’ convenience including re-releases of classic material. This convenience for the reader is essential if the magazine wishes to keep its target audience happy with what they are purchasing and continue to acquisition it in the future. One of the biggest issues with the magazine however is the overzealous use of pretentious language to try and prove that they are smarter than most magazines, it is not needed.

Week 9~Are Blackness and Whiteness useful concepts in the study of popular music?

Every piece of music has an origin; the music however may be a completely different format to what it originally was perceived as i.e. When people think about rock music the most commonly associated artist is Elvis Presley or Buddy Holly, the truth however is that, as discussed in earlier blogs, rock was actually associated with black artists before this. Does this now mean that rock is a form of black music or do we stick to our own experiences? This is why using blackness and whiteness as concepts for music doesn’t work as these stereotypes are being changed constantly. Eminem has sold the most rap records ever yet he is a white artist in an apparent black music scene, there will always be people who will defy these apparent associations, which is good as it stops racism in music. Anyone can play a music genre they want without being judged which is want the music industry needs.

Week 8~ Are Subcultures A Sign Of Revolt Or An Expression Of Style?

To divide people up into certain subcultures based on what they like and what they do can be seen as stereotyping and unfair on the people that are judged. While certain people dress in a style that they idealise, others do it to fit into a social network. Subcultures are constantly changing their values, a good example of this are skinheads; originally skinheads were associated with black ska music which then moved on to white ska music such as Madness. Modern day skinheads however have changed entirely and now represent a bleak racist world of football violence, of course these are all stereotypes but it is interesting to see how much one subculture can change so dramatically. Subcultures can be defined as an expression of style though many people who choose these cultures do so as a revolt from their usual existence; Camden punks are a great example of this, people who believe they are different but instead congregate together in one fixed area, so of these people may truly believe in their style but others will be acting in defiance to a social norm.

Week 7~ Can Popular Music Be A Genuine Force For Political Change?

Although popular music can be used as an influence on a political stance it doesn’t mean that the music itself will cause any long term political change. A good example of this is Live Aid; the concert was created to highlight the plight of Third World countries through famous artists and bands’ collaborating together, while this was successful in raising money for the cause there has been no real long-term solution to the problem through the concert. Other popular artists that have tried to influence politics include the band “Red Wedge” which were formed to promote the Labour Party in the 1989 Elections, ironically their attempts to sway the public vote failed and Labour lost, soon after they disbanded which goes to show that popular music isn’t always a force for political change but instead it can be a short-term solution until another factor is used in the change successfully.

Week 6~ Is Digital Rights Management (DRM) The Best Way To Save The Music Industry?

While there are advantages to using DRM on music in a bid to reduce the amount of music downloaded illegally from internet sources, there are always going to be programmers who find another source to download from which raises the question of whether music will ever be free from illegal downloads? Another issue with DRM is that while it benefits artists whose music is already popular and people are willing to already pay for it, bands or artists that are less popular or just starting out will find it harder for people to access their music and help them gain popularity. One of the best ways of combating the idea of DRM was Radiohead when they chose to leave their album online available for everyone to download for as much as they wanted, they could pay full price or they could pay nothing, at the same time this helped their popularity with the consumer so everyone benefited but whether other bands would benefit in the same way is another matter. In my personal opinion DRM is not the best way to save the music industry.

Week 5~ Can Popular Music Ever Really Be Unplugged?

A common misconception of the word unplugged is to believe that it is acoustic and that unplugged only refers to the instrument. While this may be considered, it goes against the definition of popular music as already discussed which is the predicament. In modern terms, music needs electronics to become popular, whether in the song or to help broadcast it; exceptions to this rule include gospel choir and possibly classical music in certain situations. In the past before the introduction of amplifiers and microphones in the late 19th and early 20th Century then it is possible to say that popular music could have been achieved “unplugged” but in today’s society, it is too much of a vital tool in introducing new types of music. Without electronics in music there never would have been the discovery of different types of singing such as crooning. Electronics are also needed to broadcast a product to a larger audience, without that the music wouldn’t get heard and so would not become popular so in my personal opinion, popular music can never be unplugged.

Week 4~ What is World Music & Why Does It Exist?

There is no direct definition of what World music is as everyone has their own opinion regarding it. People can enter their local music store and see a display telling them what the music store believes is World music just because they don’t speak the same languages but does that make it World music? My personal interpretation is that it’s a form of music that reaches the entire global audience. Music that may be produced in Mali or Jamaica for example that reaches outside just those countries. Modern music is actually more cultural than ever before with artists using various cultural aspects of other countries to promote their work e.g. Newton Faulkner using the sitar. The term World music only exists to stereotype ideals from a country that isn’t our own and until this is changed the term World music will be forever blurred. All music has the potential to be “world music” but the terms are always changing.

Week 3~ Is popular music a mass produced commodity or a genuine art form?

It’s a fair assumption to say that when music is first produced it is not with the belief that it is going to make lots of money and be world famous; instead it is created as a thought process from someone trying to create art. Where then is this line crossed and music becomes a mass produced commodity? Personally I feel that music is an art form to a certain degree even if it means taking a song that already exists and changing it i.e. Frank Sinatra and The Sex Pistols versions of “My Way”. A song created slightly differently to another still makes it a different song therefore escaping the concept of mass produced commodity. Theodor Adorno believed that popular music was a commodity due to the way it was produced differently from classical music (Adorno’s favourite) though this is not valid as all music is produced slightly differently. It is an art form as it is still someone creating an art regardless of what shape it takes.

Week 2~ What are the strengths and weaknesses of Peterson's Culture Perspective in understanding the birth of Rock and Roll?

One of the most important strengths to Peterson’s belief is that it gives a wide variety as to the explanation of how Rock and Roll became popular, at the same time however one of its biggest weaknesses is that it doesn’t address why Rock and Roll became so popular, we get a great deal of history on the matter but no explanation as to just why Rock and Roll became so popular when it did and not before or after. There is no personal insight into the debate which takes away from his belief as it doesn’t feel right. Another issue is the stereotyping of occupational careers, while some people may have fallen into the categories listed such as “Craftsmen” or “Showmen” there will have been people in the industry who didn’t fit these categories and were their own exception. The best strength to his argument is to dispel the common belief that the baby boom helped spark the Rock and Roll introduction when in fact “market demand had been growing for over a decade by 1955 but the
decision makers within the culture industry failed to notice it until
certain structural changes in their arrangements forced this
realisation”

What is Popular Music?

Popular music is everything and yet nothing at the same time. A typical response to this question is that popular music is dependant on everyones own interpretation, I may have a different idea of what is considered popular music than someone else such as commercial music that is constantly in the charts or artists that are given more air time than other bands. This theory however is a misinformed identification with the genre of "pop" rather than the actual term popular music. The actual term popular music is relevant to any artist or band that appeal to an audience (no matter what that audience is), that sell their product for profit and use technology to create their music via instruments or other technological advances. Ironically this definition of popular music applys to nearly all music in the world which therefore implys that all music is popular rather than someones own opinion.