Pop Music and Culture Essay #2 (Essay Sample)

How does Authenticity Enter into Popular Music Criticism?
Name
Institution
How does Authenticity Enter into Popular Music Criticism?
Popular music, otherwise at times known as pop music, denotes different musical genres that tend to have a wide appeal. Unlike traditional and art music that are disseminated orally or academically to small audiences, pop music is normally distributed to a much larger audience. For that matter, popular music is primarily meant for mass consumption by large audiences that are social-culturally heterogeneous. In addition, this form of music is not only stored, but also distributed in a non-written form.
In addition, it is more commonly monetized and becomes a commodity economically conversant environments. Again, it is common in capitalist societies in which the laws of free enterprise dominate and such music is made so as to sell as many copies to big audiences and at the most affordable price. Most music academicians who attempt to define pop music link the scale of activity to the popularity of this music. Popular music is less thoroughly composed since it is commonly sectional. In other words, it has a bridge, verse, and chorus with the last two components being the primary elements.
Popular music has attracted criticism from a wide variety of sectors, but how does authenticity enter into this criticism? Many have questioned the authenticity of popular music following its huge reception and influence on huge and social-culturally and geographically diverse audiences. Authenticity criticism seeks to understand the credibility, the legality, legitimacy, validity, accuracy, and truth of popular music.
Roy Shuker, for instance, has taken a bold step in addressing the underpinnings of popular music. In his latest edition of the book, Understanding Popular Music, Shuker outlines the changing popular music industry and impact of technology. The author assesses different things such as musical recording, pop musicians and stars, musical videos and texts, scenes and subcultures, and fans and audiences. What is evident from Shuker’s exploration is the wider need to underscore the authenticity of the pop music. Shuker highlights that his study of popular music is based on the need to understand the contemporary usage of culture. The authenticity of the pop music, for that matter, merges into his assessment, and he finds it to have a huge impact on the current developments in the popular music industry. In this digitally conversant generation, politically free world, and culturally heterogeneous society, the authenticity of popular music takes center stage. It is the backbone upon which the survival of popular music rests.
Moreover, David B...