Week 11: Is the audience for popular music created by the music industry?

It could be argued that without the music industry’s intervention to create an audience for popular music, some artists would be far less successful. The music industry is far more than simply recording music; it is also made up of retail, press, merchandising and technology aspects. For example, would 16-year-old Miley Cyrus’ music be as popular without her accompanying television show, movie and masses of merchandise? The fact is that the main aim of the music industry is to make money, and if a particular type of music proves popular then record companies will release similar-sounding music in the hopes that it will have similar commercial success. This is why record companies tend to discourage artists’ creativity, and stick to a standardised format. Even in 1941 Adorno recognised that ‘standardisation extends from the most general features to the most specific ones’ in the music industry, with repetition being the key to success. Whilst some artists have emerged and created a fan base without the industry’s help, the industry is out for profit and helps generate as large an audience as possible for popular music to achieve this.

Week 10: Review of ‘Mojo’ magazine

Contemporary and informative, there are many signs that Mojo magazine is aimed predominantly at music-loving male 30-somethings. The hefty cost of £4.20 a month is not in a pocket money or even student price range, and adverts promoting ale and The Samaritans point to an older, seemingly more troubled generation. Other than that it’s just packed full of extensive reviews and interviews, from classic artists such as Led Zeppelin and Tom Waits to new kids on the scene like the Arctic Monkeys. Like an overly enthusiastic poet, Mojo also uses numerous similes in its reviews, albeit always relevant and descriptive. As for the sophisticated yet informal language? Mojo pulls that off too, mixing fairly complex vocabulary with slang and sardonic humour. This laidback yet engaging magazine has been keeping the reader well-informed and sufficiently amused since 1993, and with consistent circulation figures making it the second-most widely read music magazine in the UK, Mojo shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.