Task Two Part Two: Example

I thought one choice wouldn't prove the standardization of pop music that Adorno talked about, so I found a skillfully crafted pop mega mix. This mix would not have worked if the songs that have been mashed together were not fundamentally very similar. The key and tempo of the songs have been adjusted to match but even with this slight cheating it's uncanny how well this all flows together.

Task Two: Popular music vs. Theodor W. Adorno

Ardorno claimed that popular music is standardized to such an extent that there in no genuine innovation. This he claimed is different from 'serious music'. His theory is that pop music is a standard commodity, that promoters and pluggers sell to a market that wants to buy what it already has: a new record will sell well if it sounds like a previously popular record. This standardization, he claims, keeps real innovation from the consumer because records are vetted, pre-digested. He goes on to say that repeated hearing will make a record popular so pluggers (record companies) can create success for any record (as long as it meets a minimum standard) by getting it frequently played to a listener. There is an interesting paradox at the heart of these ideas: for a song to be worthy of being plugged by a record company it must be distinguished from any other, but to be digested easily by the customer it must also be fundamentally the same as all other current hits.

My feelings are these ideas do have a truth to them today, this is probably still the way the more cynical record companies would like to operate as it is an easy to follow formula for commercializing creative content. (Find a band that sounds like an already popular band, promote them until they sell lots or records.) This can and does work but it is wrong to suggest that all popular music is devoid of innovation and so strictly formulaic. I think popular music is better viewed as evolutionary, a pocket of genuine creativity can be popular and forge a new genre in music, this usually occurs away from commercial interests, but is quickly commercialized after it gains a certain level of popularity (this can be seen happening right now with the dubstep genre) Easily digestible pop music wont satisfy every consumer, a large minority will prefer to seek out fresh creative alternatives. I used to listen to John Peels radio show for example, I didn't like all his choices, but I did like the fact that I was always listening to something different, creative and new. Admittedly, driving to work the next morning I would far rather listen to plugged pop on Radio 1 as it was a far less challenging way to start the day.