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

In my mind, I do not think the audience for popular music is created by music industry even though they do get the music out there to the people. The people themselves decide whether they like a song and spread the word which creates an audience for pop music. The music industry however do sometimes promote pop music to the limit where we have no choice but to listen to it, this is done through radio, advertisements and music played in clubs. This could be argued as the music industry creating an audience for pop music. It is not realistic to suggest that pop music can exist entirely unmediated by the forces of the music industry.

However it is up to the public to become the audience of pop music regardless of the music industry forcing the latest songs upon us. The music industry have a target market aimed at young people for pop music and are likely to focus all their attention on creating this audience for pop music.

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

I do not agree that blackness and whiteness are useful concepts as it is almost impossible to define what white or black music. Many people may say rap is black music when one of the most successful rappers is actually white (Eminem). Some could argue that rock is white music, however it was formed from the blues which is played by many black artists. It is possible to say they are both the same as music nowadays is formed from various genres. Hatch and Milward state "Pop music has always depended upon the interaction between white and black traditions". This backs up the point that pop music is built up of genres that come from both black and white artists. Pop music is rarely a pure form which is why blackness and whiteness is not useful in the study of pop.

Bhangra is a genre that crosses many influences and it is impossible to call it black or white music as it is from the asian origin. Bennet states that since the 60's immigrants use their music to establish their background and culture in Britain. This may not be true in this day and age because you can have someone of any race playing any genre out there in music. This is why the concept of using blackness and whiteness in the study of pop music is not ideal.

Can Pop Music achieve genuine Political change?

I think pop music can deter young people from voting for parties as they see their idols and are eager to be like them which is a generalisation but I'm sure it has happened. Eminem had a pop single opposing President Bush called Mosh. This song must have had an impact on young people as it is essentially propaganda to not vote for Bush and was around the time he sent troops to Iraq which is a heated debate between right and wrong. John Street states that pop music can inspire people to take action, this could be against certain parties in politics for young people as pop music is aimed at young people.

Paul weller, Billy Bragg and Jimmy Somerville formed Red Wedge, an organisation to promote the labour party using pop music, this proved to be unsuccessful which is an example of music not being able to achieve political change. Rock against racism however has promoted music as opposition to racist parties such as the BNP however it can never be proved that it was pop music that achieved genuine political change.

Does the emergence of the digital download signal the end of the music Industry?

The emergence of the digital download has damaged the music industry in a big way. Millions of songs are being downloaded illegaly worldwide. I do not think it has signalled the end of the music industry but it has affected it. Some artists may not make as much music as they would have done before the emergence of the digital download as people can get it for free at the touch of a button without leaving the house. iTunes reported it had sold its tenth billion song in february which just shows how the digital download is beneficial still to the music business regardless of illegal downloads.

However, maybe the emergence of the digital download system is just a good way to promote the music industry. This can be seen through the release of Radiohead's Kid A which was illegally downloaded millions of times before its official release on Napster. When it was released, it went no. 1 in the US, UK, Ireland, France, New Zealand and Canada. This is an indication that illegal digital downloads can benefit record sales and the music industry. Thom Yorke even stated from Radiohead "it encourages enthusiasm for music in a way that the music industry has long forgotten to do".

What is World Music?

When I go into HMV, I notice that the cd's labelled under the genre as world music are all exclusive to a specific country which is essentially folk music. Genres such as Irish, country and Arab music is present in this section. Does this mean that World Music is music that is one which is exclusive to one country? I think it is music which is not affected by cultural imperialism and one that is not universally popular. It might be a genre which doesn't fit in with the global template of Anglo-American pop music.

World music can be seen as authentic cultural music which is what I tend to vision it as. Its traditional music from countries globally which is why HMV may decide to label folk music as world music. The function of world music is to keep us all close to our cultural roots and where we came from. Pop music does not strictly fit in with world music as a genre as pop music appeals to the masses while world music may be seen to be just a local thing.

Is Popular Music a Mass Produced Commodity or a genuine art form?

Firstly Aldorno argues totally against the idea of pop music being an art form. He argues it creates inferior commodities. Music can be considered an art form regardless of the genre or can it? I think an art form has to contain originality and creativity which is why some music such as the pop group JLS may have no credibility in the music world. They can be seen as simply a mass produced commodity with no originality whatsoever and just another manufactured boyband foe record companies to make money.

There are millions of bands out there and due to this, some may have similarities which is why Aldorno may not see pop music as an art form as opposed classical artists such as Beethoven. There is some pop music genres out there that not only change the way we listen to music but the style in which we dress and live our lives and to me this is an art form. For example, The Sex Pistols and the punk era. This brought among a new movement for the people which I don't see as a mass produced commodity.

How useful is a production of culture perspective in understanding the birth of Rock and Roll?

The birth of rock and roll has produced many arguments. Peterson's production of culture perspective has weaknesses and strenghts. One of the strengths being that he analyses six factors that have brought around something new. He looks at the socio-economic platform for bringing about something new being Rock and Roll. He states that those artists in the 50's did not create the rock boom, they were just opportunists taking music that was already there produced by black artists putting the myths such as Elvis creating Rock and roll to sleep.

Peterson's theory is very useful in looking at the birth of Rock as it asks us to look at the original roots of the music such as thoses black artists from the 40's, e.g Wynonie Harris with Good Rockin Tonight from 1947. I think this theory asks us to look to cultural roots and artefacts of this music. Artists such as Elvis just developed the genre.

However the theory does not justify the birth of Rock and Roll and give us a definitive answer as to where the exact birth of Rock and Roll came from.

Is it reasonable to consider that rock music is gendered male?

It could be argued that rock music sticks to a trend of most rock stars being mainly male. When we think of the guitar, I tend to imagine a male playing, the guitar itself is a dominant force within rock music so it could be argued that it is indeed gendered. Mavis Bayton analysed trade magazines in 1988, 1992 and 1996 finding out that each year, features, news and photos of guitarists were overwhelmingly male. There is no logical explanation for the absence of the female guitarists. I tend to vision females playing more feminine instruments such as the piano or flute. It is not strictly true that there are no women in rock music because there are but it is dominated by the male. For example Rolling Stones magazine had no women guitarists in the top 50 of all time. I think rock music is gendered due to this reason.

Can Popular Music ever really be Unplugged?

Paul Theberge states "without electronic technology, popular music in the 21st century is unthinkable". This point brings me to the idea of unplugged music being popular. This has lead me to think about the genre of folk music, folk music as a genre is generally popular in different cultures, for example Irish music is very popular and is infact unplugged in many areas. There are numerous folk songs that are universally popular which can be played all over the world unplugged, for example 'whiskey in the jar'. These types of songs have been around for many years and were played unplugged when first created around the country which adds to the argument that popular music can really be unplugged.

However, the rise of technology has changed the way in which we listen to music. Amplification is key to making music popular as it allows more people to listen to the music and judge whether they like it. Even if somone is playing their songs on an acoustic guitar, this is usually plugged into an amp and a microphone is present. For music to become popular, it has to reach the masses meaning technology is essential for music to become popular.