Adorno argued that all popular music is standardized and therefore would agree that it is a mass produced commodity. He stated that all popular music involves ‘part interchangeabilty’ and ‘pseudo individualisation’, to streamline production costs and create an illusion of originality. ‘Part interchangeabilty’ refers to the way in which different parts of popular songs can be taken and put into other songs and therefore there is no uniqueness.
Adorno compares popular music to what he terms as ‘serious’ music. Although music is still consumed, it isn’t consumed in the same way other commodities are. People don’t buy the same track over and over therefore similar sounds and styles are reproduced so that popular music is still bought and enjoyed.
However, this does not mean that popular music isn’t an art form. Gemdrom argued that, although popular music is mass produced, you cannot mass produce a moment in time.
Individuals opinions on this question will differ, as they would when defining 'popular music' and even the term ‘art’.
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1 comment:
Gendron
Another well considered and intelligently expressed post.
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