Is the audience for popular music created by the music industry?

When a boy band such as Boyzone enter the music industry and produce a Number 1 single, the industry occasionally sets trends by bringing out similar boy bands, Westlife. Theodor Adorno suggests that recordings generally sound the same. Which I personally disagree with, however you can argue Boyzone and Westlife do sound similar.

As a consumer your in control through choosing singles you buy with preference, the music industry cannot force people to listen to certain music. On the other hand the music industry can over publicise through playing a chosen song on TV or Radio regularly.

Technology is developing and consumers now have more control over the music industry. When an album is successful from artists the record companies attempt to sell something similar to the previous album, while the consumer expects something different. They can go and search for what they want, which can sometimes lead to illegal downloading.

NME Review

On the shelf you can see NME are including the latest next big thing in their issue. You may not know the band yet you still go on and pick up the magazine due to the colourful front cover grabs your attention.

First page includes a band index, letting you know they are dedicated to the bands. Turn to the page of the band you have recently falling in love with, and read up on what they have been up to.

Reviews look reassembly short. However the use of language can be heavily description, resulting in the reviews being quite difficult to reach an outcome.

NME is packed with latest band news, to an outsider it could be difficult to buy, the bands featured are not always known in the mainstream. People may think you would have to be in the know to pick up this magazine, as the articles are written with the assumption you already know them, and whatever they say goes.

Are blackness and whiteness useful concepts in the study of popular music?

The concepts of blackness and whiteness in popular music is useful, as these concepts allow a starting point for theorists and other people when identifying of where music into categories. However when looking deeper into the categories of music, it is actually linked to class and location, not simply dividing between black and white artists.

On top of this the line of blackness and whiteness in music can be blurred with white and black artists covering each others music. “Pop music has always depended upon the interaction between white and black traditions” (Hatch 1987)

The issues of studying popular music are made easier when categorising music into blackness and whiteness. However you can argue this categorising could maybe classed link to stereotyping music. Consumers aren’t always the same race as the music performers. Concepts are put in place as guidelines to help address underlying issues within types of music.

Can popular music achieve genuine political change?

There are countless examples over the years of how music has tried to change the world politics. Live aids music concert is undoubtedly the most famous example of music being involved in an attempt to change world politics. It was a very successful campaign and since the 1980s there are now people in third world countries who may not have be alive today if the event did not happen.

This happened because the event raised awareness around the world of what terrible things are happening in third world countries, resulting in people wanting to help. This proves music can achieve genuine political change.

Live aid got one of the highest viewing figures in television in history, billions of people watched it worldwide, and it helped the problem. This was achieved through a concert of music, therefore music can make a difference in the world and influence politics to make change.

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

In February 2010 since the iTunes music store first launch in 2003 10 billion downloads had been bought. This gives the impression digital download market is not the end of the music industry. Music industry must take notice of the digital download, as a majority of music devices like iPod’s are entirely digital.

Digital downloads are simply more convenient to the consumer, uploading the tracks straight to their MP3 players. Giving them large amount of tracks on the go.

January 2009 saw record labels agree with iTunes to remove DRM. Making downloading appealing to consumers, now being able to download a track and not have the restrictions they once had.

iTunes provide a better alternative to illegal downloads. Consumers are choosing to pay for the tracks they download. Meaning digital downloads are helping the dying music industry evolve with technology more specifically the internet which is the future for music.

What is world music?

In my opinion ‘World Music’ describes a type of music genre which ‘belongs’ to a certain country or its origin of where the music started. For example Ireland with Irish folk music, and further a field to Aboriginal music in Australia. If you were to categorize these genre as a whole you would class them ‘World Music’ and you tend to take these genres of music exclusive to their part of the world.

However the modern day term can be used in a less forgiving way.

Take HMV for example they would include music from all different genres around the world in their store. Therefore there is going to be genres that do not sell as well as other genres from places such as America and England.

HMV decide to place these genres all together in a ‘World Music’ category so they condense and allow more space for popular music.

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

Art: "The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power"

When applying this definition to popular music it is not an art form.

The majority of “artists” of popular music don’t write the meaningful lyrics, come up with the dances routines (if applicable) or the riffs to the music.

The only creative skill of art to the performances is their ability to stand on stage and deliver the lyrics to the audience. Their songs have been created for them. They are merely part of the product of the song.

I believe when the performer creates the lyrics, choreography and music it is then to be classed as art.
This is rare to happen, which confirms the genuine art form because of it being so rare to witness.