Research: Popular music theory

What is popular culture? 

Popular culture is the understanding of fashion ideas and attitudes of the mainstream culture in society which has an influence upon us the audience. These influences and ideas are produced through the mass media and able to the audience through cultural products. These cultural products vary from Music, art, film, fashion, television and radio.Popular culture describe the lifestyle and tastes of the majority of young people. It is consumed by non-elite and non-bourgeoisie groups such as the working class. The focus and ideas are mainly targeted at the mainstream culture. They have been influenced by mass media and are products of the early 20’s. An example being Britney Spears.

Antonio Gramsci and the theory of Hegemony

Hegemony is the leadership or dominance especially by one country of social group. The term hegemony describes domination of a culturally diverse society by the ruling class who manipulate our culture till this present day. The control of the media can influence things such as what gets aired or cancelled and the degree to which as television station covers or does not cover certain news stories. Results in the audience to all think the same and not challenging the culturally dominant ideologies. This had been challenged through people being able to self-publish music, videos etc. Rather than being under the control of mainstream co corporations and this increases the independence of individuals within the music industry as well.

Frankfurt School

Popular music is the end product of a production line where everything sounds similar. An industry that exploits the mass population for profit and social control in the hope that they accept a certain ideology about the world they are living in.  The music industry promotes absorption, everything about these pop start becomes a commodity, they are clothes, image, like and dislikes etc. Which implies that the pop stars lifestyles has been bought into.

Theodor Adorno

Adorno argues that Capitalists fed people with the products of a ‘culture industry’ which he believed was the opposite of True Art. All music products are commodities to be sold to an audience who believe they are consuming true emotion. Popular music is usually divided into genres of music such as Rock, Pop, Rap, Heavy Metal and Reggae etc. However, all popular music is standardised which are interchangeable from one song to another, and they all sing about the same types of lifestyle. The effects of standardisation are often hidden by ‘frills’ that are put within a song to disguise that it sounds the same. Distinguishes between popular music and serious music. Serious music, ( classical and avant-garde) plays to the pleasures of the imagination offering engagement, popular music makes everyone think the same. ‘Popular music’ is conveyed as being false, unnatural and immature. Whereas ‘Serious music ‘ is deep, meaningful and natural.

Birmingham School

Birmingham School was a cultural theory. One of the most famous and influential forms of cultural studies initially under the influence of cultural Marxism, emerged with the centre for contemporary cultural studies in Birmingham. Considered as a more modern school of throughout that challenged some of what the ‘Frankfurt School’ and Adorno suggested about ‘Popular Culture’ They evaluated the effects and interpretations of popular culture representations on their audience. Audiences are not as passive as suggested, there is some engagement by the consumers about what they like and don’t like. The Birmingham school went against ‘Hemogens’ and defended the right of individuals to have more of a mouth-piece in their preference.

Hebdige (Richard)

Hebdige suggests that Adorno’s ideas are very pessimistic and dismissive of mass audiences as passive and easily manipulated. Consumption is an active process in which different audiences have different readings into the same cultural products. The audience are free to resist the power of large products to consume. Often then the audience constructing themselves as distinct from mainstream culture to subcultures. Major companies will try and cater for this too and create products that subcultures will consume. The audiences then have to decide whether to consume these products or whether to resist them further. Audiences are therefore more active in popular culture consumption.

Conclusion

It is important to understand a theory because it allows people to acknowledge the reasons why things happen in society.All the theories about Popular Culture are unique in their own aspect and offers  a broad viewpoint. However the Birmingham school is most appealing as it suggest that consumers have more of a say in what they prefer which I believe is true. Moreover, it is more of a modern theory that has developed further the other theories.