Research: Popular Music Theory

It can be quite important to be able to understand different theories, as well as the people behind the theories, the theorists, because as an audience we don’t understand the roots and what influenced modern era music to how it is today. The spread of their research has given the audience an insight into believing conventions are added to music videos due to the mainstream appeal from the industry to global audiences. Down to the positive feedback and notability through being taught in schools and universities, it is likely more than likely to be useful and effective. The 'Popular culture' theory, Antonio Gramsci's Hegemony theory, the Frankfurt school, Theodor Adorno's theory, the Birmingham School, and Dick Hebdige's theory, all topics I will be evaluating, analyzing, and paying attention to the key characteristics about each one.

Popular Culture – Theory: 

The popular culture theory is the understanding of cultural ideas consumed by working class people. Describes the lifestyle and tastes of the majority of most younger people who are then more easily influenced by what they see and grow up watching. Popular culture changes with the youth of society, and at the same time, youth changes with popular culture. Popular culture became a mainstream mainstay in the 80’s, with youth groups like the Mods and Rockers dominating newspaper headlines with their antics and influences based around music artists and bands. This carried on all the way through society with the youth in the 90’s turning to violence, alcohol and drugs as popular Hip-Hop artists like Tupac, Nas, Biggie and N.W.A. were of a major influence with lyrical mentions of drugs, and even artists representing ‘gangs’ with their image. To this day, the current century it has been shifted to sex, drugs and alcohol. There are artists such as Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown using their popularity to avoid being drawn up for using sex talk within their songs, Nicki Minaj made a song called ‘Truffle Butter’, those who wish to remain uncorrupted will avoid the meaning, but a deep reference suggests she’s talking about the act rather than the delicacy.

Antonio Gramsci – Theory:

Gramsci’s theory was based and centered around the opinion that the control of the media can influence things such as what shows are aired or cancelled, and the degree to which a TV channel covers or doesn’t cover certain news stories. This can be reflected in the sense that due to the fact that the openly conservative Rupert Murdoch owns a percentage of Sky News, it can be seen with close analysis that they hide certain news stories in comparison to a majority of other conglomerate companies. This results in the audience being passive, thinking the same and then not challenging cultural dominant ideologies. Gramsci also stated that we the people, and society, follow the dominant culture and ideology of the country. Hegemony is now being challenged in the modern day media as people are able to self-publish music videos, etc. rather than being under the control of mainstream corporations. It is then easier to access by consumers.

Frankfurt School - Theory: 

In working at the Institute for Social Research, Frankfurt, in the late 1920’s, theorists Horkheimer, Adorno, Marcuse, Lowenthal and Fromm were producers of some of the first accounts within critical social theory and of the importance of mass culture and communication in reproduction and superiority. However, it is only Horkheimer and Adorno that came to develop powerful analysis of the radical changes in Western capitalist societies that transpired since the classical theory of Karl Marx. They constructed the ideology that the media used different ways to come across as this ‘hypodermic syringe’, putting forward that some contents of the media were subconsciously infused into the minds of the audience who were, on many occasions, perceived as being quite passive and overlooking. This made it easier for all forms of media to bypass the audience and continue to be controlled by the social elites, as they are aware that they will not be challenged. 

Theodor Adorno - Theory: 

Theodor Adorno is a German philosopher, sociologist and composer, well known for his critical theories on modern society and music. Studying at Frankfurt School, Germany, he despised of jazz and popular music, often viewing it as part of 'culture industry', further blaming it for contributing to the current sustainability of capitalism. Often arguing that the culture industry manipulated the majority population, with popular culture being identified as a reason to why audiences became so passive, that "the easy pleasures available through consumption of popular culture made society tame and content", with no regards to their financial and economic status. Adorno also stated that, "the same thing is offered to everyone by the standardized production of consumption goods".

His theory is often devoted to identifying the different objective constituent involved in the experience of identification, than the real experience related to the individual. This can be linked with modern art as music charts are often dominated by mainstream artists with similar songs, promoting various themes such as partying, or taking drugs, having sexual partners and even being involved in individual or gang violence. This is the type of music that appeals to the masses, suits their taste, further manipulating them to accept the music being promoted. This confines niche genres such as classical and opera being excluded to just the ears of the non-mainstream audience, further stating that 'true art' was at the top of the hierarchy and included music from the identified niche genres.
 

Birmingham School – Theory:

Stuart Hall, a cultural theorist and sociologist who attended the Birmingham School where he created a theory based around the issues concerning Hegemony. This theory included encoding, the process by which a text is constructed by its producers, and decoding, the way in which an audience reads, understands and interprets a text, others will decode the text in a very different way.

• Encoding – The process by which a text is constructed by its producers.

S. Hall also pointed out that audiences will decode a product in a contrasting manner due to a wide range of factors. There was a sense that the Bourgeoisie will react to media text rather different compared to the masses. They will most likely scorn upon a hip-hop song, whereas the masses will have more of a chance of accepting and understanding the value, as it has a more tasteful appeal to that part, just as how the masses will most likely fail to be appealed by classical music whereas the latter will embrace and comply it.

• Decoding – The way in which an audience reads, understands and interprets a text. Others will decode the text in a different way.

Dick Hebdige - Theory:

Dick Hebdige, a media theorist and sociologist, known for having his work associated within subcultures in the music industry, and its constant resistance of the mainstream culture. Hebdige believed that the general audience have a choice on whether they resist the norms of the music industry by finding various other alternatives to consume. This then leads to the conglomerates of the music industry, making a step to diffuse this by trying to manufacture products they know the audience will be more likely to consume rather than leaving for another option. As modern society grows, so do music artists, and the way they want to be seen in society, will determine the way they use sub-cultural values to represent themselves. And with the media recognizing sub-cultures as much as the audience, they have now devised ways to allow it to be marketed and promoted on a wide scale, bringing further attention to niche artists and genres. 

Conclusion

In reading up about popular culture and the different theories about it, I can make a final judgement on how i would want my music to be portrayed as, who it appeals to and what it is classified as in terms of the masses and the bourgeoisie. In my music video i will, however be representing themes the masses will be able to understand and relate to, further promoting my music video and gaining the natural attention I am aiming for.