Is The Audience For Popular Music Created By The Music Industry?

The music industry has a huge influence over what music the produced and heard by the public, therefore the audience for popular music is at the very least affected by the music industry. This is due to the fact that record companies want to maximize sales, therefore follow music trends, and discourage creativity as this may harm their profits. In doing this it can be argued that the popular music audience itself is essentially being created by the music industry. With the major record labels such as EMI, Universal and Warner holding a monopoly in the market some suggest that due to the music trends ‘recordings generally sound the same, with some variation’ Ibid , meaning that more experimental music is harder to come by as small labels have a lot less money to produce with meaning that they cannot afford records to fail unlike the big labels who claim ‘for every hit song..there are 10 recordings that make no significant commercial impact’

...Mojo...

Priced at a hefty £4.20 Mojo is for the more discerning reader. Yet you do not feel short changed when you finally turn over the last page. Mojo is packed full of impressive interviews with some of the worlds greats such as Led Zeppelin, The Doors and The Band. However Mojo incorporate more modern music for the readers to become accustomed to with the likes of The Arctic Monkeys gracing the pages. The magazine seems to aim itself at middle-aged men, who grew up with the likes of The Doors and are trying to get into more modern music to impress or shock their children with, and Mojo offers the perfect balance. Every issue presents numerous music reviews of new and old cds to help bulk up you’re collection or to find new bands. Adverts vary from promotions from Abbot Ale to The Samaritans, incase you fancy a drink while helping out others. Mojo has been a top selling music publication since its release in 1993 and sales are strong, proving the £4.20 price tag doesn’t put people off if the content is worth it. It seems as though it is.

Are Blackness and Whiteness Useful Concepts In The Study Of Popular Music?

To some degree the concepts of blackness and whiteness are useful when studying popular music. At a basic level they allow people to identify with where the music is from and its origins. However this concept should only be used as a starting point before focusing upon their class and social scene as influencing their music. David Hatch says, ‘pop music has always depended upon the interaction between white and black traditions’ showing that there is no solid foundations of black and white music, but are both influential to each other. Yet blackness and whiteness are not so much concepts; they are guidelines, which help tackle social issues in certain types of music. The terms can be useful if used in the right context and taking on board all of the other issues surrounding the musicians at the time, not only focusing upon the colour of their skin.

Can popular music really achieve genuine political change?

Popular music has the ability to cause political change as Shuker describes, 'conscience rock' has the ‘potential for popular music to raise consciousness and money'. This however relies upon the context in which it is staged. For example, in 1984 Sir Bob Geldof and a collaboration of artists know as Band Aid released ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas Time?’ into the Christmas charts and raised £8 million for famine relief. Shortly after USA for Africa followed with ‘We Are The World’, raising a subsequent $50 million for the same cause. John Street notes in Frith that: 'music has symbolic force'. However in 1987 Red Wedge, a group supporting the Labour Party was ultimately unsuccessful and Labour ended up losing the general elections. This could be down to the fact that Band Aid was a coming together for a world cause, where as Red Wedge was solely for political benefit. Music will not always guarantee political change, but it always has the capability to.

Are Youth Subcultures Genuine Signs Of Revolt Or Simply The Manifestation Of Style?

Talcott Parsons argues that subcultures are youth’s way of dealing with the transition from childhood to adulthood. Most subcultures begin as a way for the youth’s to create a different style that is different to mainstream society, giving themselves their own identity and this could be classified as a rebellion against the mainstream. These subcultures are often linked to the groups musical preference and are seen to influence the way they dress and act, such as Goths and Punks. Yet Hebdige claims that ‘the styles expressed by different subcultures are a response to social conditions and experiences'. He suggests that the style of punk must be interpreted ‘in the context of the social decay of Britain during the late 1970s.’ It seems that the subcultures from the 1950s-1990s incorporated revolt and style unlike subcultures today which are not as often showing signs of revolt, rather using style to fit into the life which surrounds them, such as students.

Does The Emergence Of The Digital Download Signal The End Of The Music Industry?

Digital downloads became popular in the late 1990s through file sharing sites such as Napster and LimeWire. CD sales dramatically fell causing the music industry to panic over these illegal download sites where people can download an artist for free instead of paying for the album. However in 2003 Apple launched the iTunes Store which sold individual songs or albums at a cheaper price than in shops, causing a resurgence in music sales. Still, many believe that if people can download an album for free, why would they pay for it, meaning the music industry needed to give customers something different which they would not get from a download. This comes in the form of the CD itself, as well as the album artwork and sleeves causing CDs to still be popular with many who may not want to break the law or are nostalgic towards owing a CD which many people are.

Can Popular Music Ever Really Be Unplugged?

Popular music relies on technology in order for the bands to produce their music. Technology is used to produce albums in studios; it excites in most interments, drums, guitars, bass guitars and vocals and all use amplifiers and microphones to enhance the sounds when performing. Therefore if unplugged is defined as without technology or effects then it is almost impossible for music to be truly unplugged because by taking away the technology then the albums would not be made, and the only possible way for popular music to be really unplugged would be at a live concert by using nothing but their acoustic interments and voices, with the audience having to be very quiet to hear the band, which has been known to happen but very rarely.