There are many interpretations of music to an individual in today’s society. To some, music is representation of art, to others, a way of relaxation. Modern-day music mostly consists of mainstream music; usually chart-toppers and ubiquitous. Music in the past used to be filled with meanings; often a foretelling of a story or history. Fast forward to the present, music depth has liquidated. Mainstream music is often repetitive, standardised (Simpson, 2000) and frequently fantasizes on heartbreak and romance. Adorno and Horkheimer (2002, p.117) states that popular music is an instrument used by the culture industry to dupe and placate masses into a wielding consumption, concocting a false consciousness in individuals unknowingly. This essay will
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Music that does not present such qualities are considered to propel the society into a regressive state. This is evident in a case study done by a group of researchers from the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute of the Spanish National Research Council in Barcelona (Matson, 2012). Analysing a Million Dollar Dataset, containing songs from 1955 to 2010, timbre - sound colour, texture and tone quality correlative to the harmonic content of piece - is examined (Matson, 2012). Joan Serrà and his group deduced a reduction of timbre variety after the 1960s, suggesting limited diversification in instrumentation and recording techniques (Serrà, 2012). Pitch content has desiccated and loudness in songs have increased (Serrà, 2012). Loudness drains intensity and richness from a recording; making ‘nothing stand out as exclamatory and punchy’ (Matson, 2012). Songs being repetitive and having unsubstantial depth displays how the culture industry denies individuals the freedom to roam and explore. It does not lead to the expansion of mind and instead, dulls critical awareness which is crucial in Adorno’s case as it is paramount for social progression. People’s relationship with music has been undermined to a ‘silent, passive and largely mindless consumption’ (Bowman, 1998, p.318). Previously used as a manner of ‘human …show more content…
Reification which Lukacs (1967) posits, is the bringing of non-existent values such as emotions into something concrete. It can be used as an ‘exchange and consumption’ (Bowman, 1998, p.319) in the cultural industry. Mainstream music emcompasses this logic of reification to further hornswoggle masses into fetish commodification. Portrayal is made by emphasis on emotions, such as love and melancholy in modern-day music. The culture industry commodifies these unreal values into a material which can be sold and bought to masses. Taylor Swift and Adele are exemplifications of singers notoriously known for their love songs. Swift has accumulated over 300 awards including 10 Grammys, 19 American music awards and 23 Billboard music awards (Strain, 2015); having sold over 40 million albums and 130 million digital downloads (Strain, 2015). Adele on the other hand has garnered awards such as Oscars, golden globes and numerous grammys and brits (Bhelawe, 2016). The singer was appointed MBE (Bull, 2013), receiving an award on the Queen’s Birthday Honour list for her services to music (BBC News, 2013). Masses relating and yielding to such music enables the culture industry to use emotions as a tool to manipulate masses; giving them a pseudo-experience of being love and wanted. Masses become more individualistic as they turn to music for a source of emotional well-being instead of friends
Music that does not present such qualities are considered to propel the society into a regressive state. This is evident in a case study done by a group of researchers from the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute of the Spanish National Research Council in Barcelona (Matson, 2012). Analysing a Million Dollar Dataset, containing songs from 1955 to 2010, timbre - sound colour, texture and tone quality correlative to the harmonic content of piece - is examined (Matson, 2012). Joan Serrà and his group deduced a reduction of timbre variety after the 1960s, suggesting limited diversification in instrumentation and recording techniques (Serrà, 2012). Pitch content has desiccated and loudness in songs have increased (Serrà, 2012). Loudness drains intensity and richness from a recording; making ‘nothing stand out as exclamatory and punchy’ (Matson, 2012). Songs being repetitive and having unsubstantial depth displays how the culture industry denies individuals the freedom to roam and explore. It does not lead to the expansion of mind and instead, dulls critical awareness which is crucial in Adorno’s case as it is paramount for social progression. People’s relationship with music has been undermined to a ‘silent, passive and largely mindless consumption’ (Bowman, 1998, p.318). Previously used as a manner of ‘human …show more content…
Reification which Lukacs (1967) posits, is the bringing of non-existent values such as emotions into something concrete. It can be used as an ‘exchange and consumption’ (Bowman, 1998, p.319) in the cultural industry. Mainstream music emcompasses this logic of reification to further hornswoggle masses into fetish commodification. Portrayal is made by emphasis on emotions, such as love and melancholy in modern-day music. The culture industry commodifies these unreal values into a material which can be sold and bought to masses. Taylor Swift and Adele are exemplifications of singers notoriously known for their love songs. Swift has accumulated over 300 awards including 10 Grammys, 19 American music awards and 23 Billboard music awards (Strain, 2015); having sold over 40 million albums and 130 million digital downloads (Strain, 2015). Adele on the other hand has garnered awards such as Oscars, golden globes and numerous grammys and brits (Bhelawe, 2016). The singer was appointed MBE (Bull, 2013), receiving an award on the Queen’s Birthday Honour list for her services to music (BBC News, 2013). Masses relating and yielding to such music enables the culture industry to use emotions as a tool to manipulate masses; giving them a pseudo-experience of being love and wanted. Masses become more individualistic as they turn to music for a source of emotional well-being instead of friends