NME Magazine

The first thing I notice about this magazine is the expressionless individuals staring straight back at me- slightly erring on the side of ‘you don’t really belong here do you?’ but no different from any fashion glossy, ok so trying to shake the feeling you get when you’re about to be turned away from a nightclub I open up and am greeted with... text.

Lots and lots of text.

Its layout has the feel of a trade magazine purely there to communicate insider knowledge- however the language with its slight sarcastic and idiosyncratic tone isn’t a complete alien encounter and sometimes even funny?

Continuing to flick through its rough coarse pages (hello my name is NME and I don’t do gloss) you see the name dropping of various artists at different hipster hot-spots which yeah is a bit like flipping through a holiday brochure, destination: cool. But so what?

Are concepts of blackness and whiteness useful in the study of popular music?

Considering race when discussing concepts within music only provides a fractional scope of a much more complex subject; it’s been argued that in particular ‘pop music has relied on the merging of black and white traditions’ –there is no key racial factor that the birth of modern popular music can be attributed to, it simply exists through the blending of different cultures. This is not just the case within musical genres but also in artists and performers, Elvis Presley was ‘a white man with a negro sound’ and probably one of the most successful and influential artists of all time, his ability to sing so called ‘black music’ came not from his ethnicity but from his economic and social status- a factor which serves better use in discussing ideology within music rather than considering racial factors which can perhaps serve instead to understand only the origins of some musical genres.

Can popular music achieve genuine political change?

It has been argued that music has ‘a symbolic force’ which can stir up emotion and rouse individuals to take action in political matters. Billie Holiday released ‘Strange Fruit’ an extremely moving song about a lynching in Indiana; it was politically charged and a very definite stand against something that was wrong, and although it didn’t effect immediate political change it did begin to raise awareness. An example of actual political change would be that it was at Frank Sinatra’s demand that Sammy Davis Junior was allowed to stay in segregated hotels, this was nothing to do with Sinatra’s music- in fact his music had absolutely no political element to it however it was his power within the industry that effected this mammoth change. These two examples show how although music can educate and effect gradual change, immediate results seem to only be achieved via political power wielded by certain individuals.

Does the emergence of the digital download signal the end for the music industry?

Ever since the first recordable audio medium was introduced in the form of a cassette tape the music industry has endeavoured to stop the unauthorised sharing of its copyrighted music. Advances in digital technology have made this on-going battle even tougher on the industry; in particular the advent of MP3 and the reduction of file size resulting in shorter download times, meaning it is now far easier to download copyrighted music illegally. The music industry asserts that this no different to theft of a physical object and is directly linked to a fall in CD sales. However whilst it’s also been observed that file sharing could be a substitute for purchasing one counter-argument is that it gives the consumer the chance to sample the music before paying and that it provides a platform for smaller/new artists to reach a wider audience in an otherwise corporately dominated industry.

What is world music?

Firstly we’re given local music which can be native to its country of origin or a representation of the culture in which it is produced. Or Global music, a phenomenon that sees the likes of Michael Jackson being sold as a trans-national product but can also manifest itself as local/indigenous music being bought up by major music labels who then market it globally. From globalisation we are given the idea of cultural imperialism- that dominant states will enforce their culture onto dependent nations meaning that Anglo-American pop music becomes established as the accepted global music ‘blueprint’. The introduction of global music to dependent states traditionally focused on local music has been argued to cause the phasing out of indigenous music however case studies have proved that musical ‘cloning’ is not happening but rather both global and local sounds are being amalgamated into a new type of world music that transcends nationality.

Is popular music a mass produced commodity or a genuine art form?

What is art? Whatever definition you find, ask yourself, does popular music fit into this classification? Some will argue that popular music is an all consuming production line that churns out mass produced inferior commodities and that it is inherently standardised. Popular music is subject to part interchangeability and pseudo-individualisation; these both streamline production costs and create an illusion of uniqueness. Many pop songs will use music and even lyrics from previous songs; this will then be marketed and labelled as a completely different product thus generating new income. However the counterargument says that not only do we consume music in a completely unique way and that interpretation will alter between individuals but also that you must separate the text (the music/art) from the particular (the CD). The particular can be reproduced a million times however the music cannot, it will differ between recording sessions or vocalists etc.