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.