Week 11 - Does The Music Industry Create The Market?

In my opinion, the music industry definitely does create the market. If there was no music industry there wouldn’t be a market, end of, fact. However, it can be argued that if it wasn’t for the market, there would be no music industry. However, I would argue with this, as I would say that there could still be a music industry without a market. Although it could be argued nobody would have heard music so wouldn’t know what it was, it could still be possible for people to play instruments, however, it literally is impossible to have a market without an industry. It would be absurd to suggest there could be a market to something that doesn’t exist. So overally, I would definitely say that the music industry does create its market.

week 10 - mix mag review

The magazine is very picture orientated, although it does also consist of a vast amount of text. It is clearly made to appeal to its own specific audience, dance music fans, and no one else really. I dont believe anyone else would enjoy reading about dance music and seeing pictures of dance acts if they werent interested in that. Another notable thing about this magazine is that it consists of a large amount of advertisments. Theodore Petersons belief was that the modern day magazine has rose to a big level because of the growth of advertising, and in this magazine they go with this theory. They use absolutely loads of adverts to fill their pages, and to also make money. Overall i would say the magazine is well presented and written, but only really for people who are interested in the subject area it covers, and it doesnt appeal to anyone else in the slightest.

week 9 - are blackness and whiteness useful concepts in the study of popular music?

I think that using blackness and whiteness as a concept when studying popular music is wrong, as certain types of music shouldn’t be associated just with one type of person. It is true that a lot of rap music and R & B music is associated with black people, and pop and indie is generally associated with caucasians, but this doesn’t have to necessarily be the way. There are many examples of people who have broken this mould, Eminem and Kele Okereke of bloc party naming two of many. They prove that certain music doesn’t have to be associated with the colour of people, and associating a colour with a certain type of music is purely generalizing, because people assume that because they do indie music, they will be white, or because the are an R & B artist they are automatically going to be black. To conclude, I would say that blackness and whiteness are useful concepts in the study of popular music, although the proof is in the pudding that types of music don’t have to involve people of certain skin colour in order to have success.

week 8 - Are subcultures a sign of revolt or an expression of style?

Sub-cultures consist of many different people from different backgrounds, all with unique personalities, so I think it is unfair to generalise that one whole subculture is purely a sign of revolt or an expression of style. However, I think some people join in with certain subcultures because of these reasons. For example, the chav phase that has recently come about is a prime example of a number of people who are involved because it is a way to revolt. A lot of people look down on chavs as violant thugs, and so this spurs some people on to be part of this sub-culture in a bid to revolt. However, I think it is unfair to look at a whole sub-culture as everyone joining it to revolt or as an expression of style. To conclude, I think some people do join subcultures in a bid to revolt or as an expression of style, like many mods, however, I believe it is wrong to tar a whole culture with the same brush.

week 7 - can popular music be a genuine force for political change?

There are several examples over the years of how music and people involved in music have tried to use music to change world politics. Band aid and live aid are two of the most famous examples of music being involved in an attempt to change world politics. However, it still didnt change the world, and the way it ran, and people are still starving in the third world. However, it helped the third worlds cause, and helped bring attention to what is going on in poorer countries. This for me magnifys the fact that music cannot be a genuine force for political change. Live aid got one of the highest viewing figures for television in history, and billions watched it worldwide, yet it didnt fix the problem. I think this is evidence enough that yes, music can have a say in politics, but it cant actually change politics.

week 6 - Is DRM (data rights management) the best way to save the music industry?

In 1999 Shawn Fanning and two friends created download website Napster. This meant that people could access and own music for free without having to go out and buy a single. It was suggested it was going to be the death of the music industry as nobody would buy music from now on. DRM was introduced in an attempt to minimize illegal downloading and boost record sales. However, figures show that downlloads havent actually affected record sales, and in some cases have even helped them out because it has allowed audiences to preview the music, as in the case of radiohead in America. Despite DRM, dozens of download sites still exist, and almost any song is freely available to anyone. Therefor, I would confidently say that DRM reduces illegal downloading, but doesnt stop it completely. It cant save the industry, as there are loads of ways around it, but I dont think the industry is in need of saving anway.

week 5 - Can popular music ever really be unplugged?

In this day and age, it is extremely rare, and virtually unheard of to hear music that isn’t effectively ‘plugged in’. All kinds of music is now plugged in, even when you see a concert or an album advertised as ‘unplugged’. This is because it would be virtually impossible to play any kind of music to a crowd much bigger than 100 without some sort of amplification. However, amplification and electronic technology isn’t a bad thing, and is probably the reason why music is so popular these days. Paul Therberge agrees with this by stating that, in his opinion, ‘without electronic technology, pop music in the 21st century is unthinkable’. From the invention from Lee Deforest of the audion in 1904 to the Stratocaster in 1954 by Leo fender, this has all meant that in this day and age, we simply couldn’t live with music that is not plugged in in any way, so in my opinion, popular music cannot ever really be unplugged.