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How the music industry became pop culture, and how pop culture became music

When the music industry changed its focus from creating albums to creating singles, it created a shift in what constitutes pop culture.

By Laurine AsselinPublished 2 years ago 5 min read
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How the music industry became pop culture, and how pop culture became music
Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash

Nowadays, when people say that they like “pop culture” music, they most likely mean “Top 40” music. But the pop vs. rock war wasn't always so apparent. For example, in the 1950s and through the early 1960s, some of the most popular musicians were The Beatles, while in the latter half of that decade and into the 1970s it was disco artists such as Bee Gees who scored big (and remain big today) with hits like Staying Alive and Stayin' Alive.

In the 1980s and even mid 1990s you had alternative influences such as Nirvana and Green Day beating out Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson for top musical honors. There have been decades where certain music genres or styles dominated mainstream music charts, although those charts didn't use to be precise or detailed the way they are today.

Pop culture was not always music. pop culture was once tv, movies, and literature.

For the past decade or so, pop culture has been synonymous with music. The musical genre has permeated our lives in ways that few could have predicted. But how did this happen? How did music become such an integral part of our everyday lives? The answer lies in the fact that pop culture is much more than just music.

Pop culture actually encompasses all aspects of today's society: TV, movies, books and even video games. And while music is by far the most popular form of pop culture, it wasn't always this way. In fact, it wasn't until the mid-1960s that music began to play such a crucial role in our daily lives.

Before then, pop culture was dominated by television shows like Leave It To Beaver and The Andy Griffith Show (both shows about small town America), as well as classic films like 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Godfather (both films about larger than life characters). It wasn't until The Beatles came along in 1964 that music began to take center stage in our daily lives —and not just any kind of music either: rock n' roll!

Go to a concert, it's "pop culture".

The rise of pop culture is a major event in our history. It has changed the world and the way we look at it. The signs are everywhere, with celebrities like Katy Perry and Taylor Swift ruling the charts, and musicians like Drake and Beyonce topping iTunes charts. The music industry today is as much about pop culture as it is about music.

But how did this all come to be? The rise of pop culture Pop culture emerged in the 1940s and 1950s, when mass media became more accessible to people all over the world. Radio stations began playing popular music on a daily basis, and more people started buying records instead of just listening to them at home or in public places.

The word “popular” comes from “populus”, Latin for “people” or “common people” – which is exactly who was listening to this new type of music! Popular music was meant for common people, not just rich aristocrats who had access to classical music or jazz at that time. As more people started buying records, they started forming groups around their favorite singers and bands – just like today!

In 20 years i believe that books will be the new pop culture.

In 20 years, I believe that books will be the new pop culture. Pop culture is defined as a culture that is popular with the general public. It's the movies, TV shows and music we all love to listen to or watch. But there's a reason why it's called "pop" culture — it's fleeting.

Trends come and go, but books have been around for hundreds of years, and there's no sign of them going away anytime soon. As for why I say this? Well, let me tell you about my journey into the music industry... When I was 17 years old I started working at a record label in London.

It was an exciting time for me because I got to see how much fun people had when they saw their favorite artists perform live. But what really fascinated me was how much money they were making off their albums — they would sell millions of copies worldwide every year!

That was something that had never occurred to me before: making money from selling recorded music!

There is no harm in pop culture....as long as your not addicted to it.

Pop culture is the way in which people, especially young people, understand their world. It's what they listen to, what they watch, what they buy and wear. Pop culture has been around since the 1930s and 1940s when movies were first introduced to society. Today, pop culture ranges from movies and music to television shows and video games.

The term "pop culture" was first used in 1964 by sociologists Alun Munslow and Tony Bennett who described it as "the tastes and attitudes that characterize the mass entertainment." Their research showed that the rise of rock 'n' roll music had changed the way people viewed popular culture. Rock 'n' roll was seen as a threat to traditional values and morals because it focused on sexual themes and often promoted drug use.

Today, pop culture has become so widespread that it's nearly impossible to avoid it completely — even if you try really hard!

All in All...

Pop music and culture have blended together and thrived for decades, growing more intertwined and popular with every passing year. Today's pop music industry provides a wide variety of artists for audiences to enjoy on a multitude of platforms—a far cry from when the two were separate entities. Regardless of how you feel about this recent shift, there's no denying how much pop music has shaped our culture to this day.

There are plenty of examples out there to back up this argument. Did you know, for instance, that The Carpenters' 1971 hit single "Superstar" was largely inspired by the popularity of Jesus Christ Superstar? As the popularity of one medium grows so does the other, leading to a constant cycle of innovation and increased popularity all around.

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About the Creator

Laurine Asselin

📝 Hi I'm Laurine, a student in art. I want to write articles about Pop Culture, my passion. Let me know what you think about my articles! 😊

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