The production of culture perspective, devised by Richard Peterson, is not only useful in dispelling any myths as to the origins of Rock and Roll; but also gives us several socio-economic factors he attributes to the birth of the genre. Whilst these are helpful in understanding the context in which we were given Rock and Roll, Peterson maintains that we can’t properly understand it unless we ‘analyse it in the context in which it was produced’ and so he solely concentrates on these socio-economic factors and doesn’t once address the music. Why Rock and Roll? What is so special about this type of music that made it stand out from all the others? Here Peterson’s theory lets us down and it becomes unclear as to the reasons behind the birth of a genre that changed music forever. Rock and Roll becomes a socially constructed commodity rather than a musical revolution.
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I think it is fair to say that rock 'n' roll is simultaneously a socially constructed commodity and a revolution. In a sense this is where Peterson's excellent analysis of the socio-economic factors that provided the platform for the genre to be launched falls short (by choice) in that he is not as concerned by the sound and distinctive difference of the music as he is by the times that gave it birth.
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