Wednesday 2 May 2012

Pop Culture And Pop Music

By Dean Smith


People call it Pop Music for a reason. It is the song category that covers the widest spectrum of audiences and enjoys the best sales performance in the industry. The songs themselves have a catchy tune that match with the easy to remember verses and choruses.

It first started in the 1920s when artists laid down tracks for the sole purpose of selling a lot of singles and albums. It borrows elements from other styles such as jazz, rock or country yet still manages to keep its mass appeal. The final product has a hint of the influence but the sound is distinctly pop. It is a genre that is from America and majority of the artists are American.

It was Madonna and Michael Jackson who took turns dominating the songs of the 1980s. They appealed to the more daring and carefree aspect of the culture at the time. In the 1990s, male and female groups shined. The likes of 98 Degrees, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC and Hanson traded hits with the Spice Girls and Destiny's Child. The younger generation took over in the year 2000 when Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears grew up and into the stars that they are today.

Whenever there was something new, pop music was right in the middle of it. Whether it was a new fad, a new way to record sound or new media, the pop artists were out in force. The start of MTV was also the beginning of a new era for the genre.

By doing well in the market and churning new material at a rapid pace, it has demonstrated its staying power. Trends were started, followed, forgotten and renewed again because of songs. The sheer number of people who buy the product of creativity and business sense keeps the industry successful.

The gauge for the success and failure of the industry has always been the charts. It usually compiles data from radio stations and stores in order to come up with a list of the top songs and albums. There are a variety of charts available. Some are divided by category, by type of sales and also by location.

The list is a result of information such as airplay, requests, singles sales and album sales. In the past few years, with the emergence of digital copies, it included the number of downloads via legitimate sources and sites. Access to pop music has never been easier.




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