Music More Authentic
Can One Form Of Music Be More Authentic Than Another?
There are many different forms of music all of which have individual styles and characteristics. These forms and styles are generally categorized, by the media, music industry and audiences, into musical genres. These genres are more or less determined by such factors as geographical location, for example Nashville and Country & Western; time period, for example 1950’s and Rock’n’Roll; social relevance, for example 1970’s and Punk; and of course the variables of musical form itself including instrumentation, technique and particularly the distinctions made between Art, Pop and Traditional music. The emergence of new genres, or sub-genres, can in truth occur from an almost infinite number …show more content…
ic subcultures acts as a gate-keeping mechanism, as well." (Shepherd, 2003) This would suggest that the origin, dimension and indeed ‘authenticity’ of a music genre is determined by many variables and these factors contribute to the over …show more content…
The initial perception of this music was that it was just ‘pop’ music, created for entertainment purposes only. It was perceived to have very little artistic merit, and although critics and audiences alike understood and accepted the ability of the musicians and songwriters involved, the performers themselves, and the songs they sang and endorsed were not deemed authentic in the traditional context of Pop and Rock music ideology. They didn’t often, and in some cases ever, write their own songs, immediately connoting an impression of a ‘factory like,’ capitalist attitude towards producing music. However, recently, the record label, and indeed the Soul and Funk genres it championed, have been critically acclaimed for providing a platform and voice for black performers who were marginalised by the predominantly white, male dominated record industry. It has also been noted that Motown appealed, not just to black performers and a black audience, but to a young, intellectual white audience who approached the music with a negotiated reading, recognising the racist attitudes towards black performers and developing an appreciation of their music as a move towards empowerment, not just in terms of determining what music they chose to produce and control but also of the black movement as a whole. The ‘factory like’ attitude
There are many different forms of music all of which have individual styles and characteristics. These forms and styles are generally categorized, by the media, music industry and audiences, into musical genres. These genres are more or less determined by such factors as geographical location, for example Nashville and Country & Western; time period, for example 1950’s and Rock’n’Roll; social relevance, for example 1970’s and Punk; and of course the variables of musical form itself including instrumentation, technique and particularly the distinctions made between Art, Pop and Traditional music. The emergence of new genres, or sub-genres, can in truth occur from an almost infinite number …show more content…
ic subcultures acts as a gate-keeping mechanism, as well." (Shepherd, 2003) This would suggest that the origin, dimension and indeed ‘authenticity’ of a music genre is determined by many variables and these factors contribute to the over …show more content…
The initial perception of this music was that it was just ‘pop’ music, created for entertainment purposes only. It was perceived to have very little artistic merit, and although critics and audiences alike understood and accepted the ability of the musicians and songwriters involved, the performers themselves, and the songs they sang and endorsed were not deemed authentic in the traditional context of Pop and Rock music ideology. They didn’t often, and in some cases ever, write their own songs, immediately connoting an impression of a ‘factory like,’ capitalist attitude towards producing music. However, recently, the record label, and indeed the Soul and Funk genres it championed, have been critically acclaimed for providing a platform and voice for black performers who were marginalised by the predominantly white, male dominated record industry. It has also been noted that Motown appealed, not just to black performers and a black audience, but to a young, intellectual white audience who approached the music with a negotiated reading, recognising the racist attitudes towards black performers and developing an appreciation of their music as a move towards empowerment, not just in terms of determining what music they chose to produce and control but also of the black movement as a whole. The ‘factory like’ attitude