Effect of the Market on Construction of Music

Essay by ZeroB, March 1996

download word file, 9 pages 3.5

Can Manufactured Bands ever be Classified as 'Good' Art? The Effect of the Market on the Construction of Music

Introduction

Manufactured bands now make up a major percentage of chart music today, not least of them Take That, Boyzone, Bad Boys inc., East 17 and other all-boy pop bands. In this essay I would like to discuss how the standard of art has been lowered by the capitalistic system of the music industry, using a specific example - 'Upside Down', which is maybe the latest addition to this genre of music.

By this genre of music, I mean the all-boy bands which have been specifically manufactured and targeted at the 'teenybopper' age class (and also the gay market?).

Personal Opinions

To argue that this form of art is 'bad' art, one must have a reference point - a set of values by which to judge. This is almost always a personal opinion, and I would first of all like to explain my personal opinion.

I believe that 'good' art has something to offer to the individual perceiver, be it painting, book, film, dance or music. These are all different forms of art, but one thing binds them all together - the fact that they are creations, created and crafted to the personal specifications of the artist. This makes the product original.

Two values by which I judge music are creativity and originality. I believe that good art provides 'food for thought' - that special something which, after the tape has finished, after leaving the cinema or closing a book, leaves an 'aftertaste' - something to think about, be it, 'how did he/she play that' or, 'what was he/she trying to say with that piece,' the list goes on.

Basic Market Analysis

For the purposes of this essay, I want...