Can popular music ever really be unplugged?

Technology is fundamental to our understanding of music and ultimately shapes the types and styles that can be created. Popular music could never achieve the same acknowledgment without the advances technology has offered. Recording and distribution, I personally think are the two biggest contributors, resulting from technology. The use of recording ultimately allows audiences to hear music in the first place and without this process, most popular music could never be established. Distribution furthermore alters the perception of music. Without the introduction of amplification, many common popular music types with specific sounds would not even be in existence and the accessibility of hearing these music types would be extremely limited, resulting in a small audience feedback. In order to be successful, popular music relies strongly upon large audiences and their consumption. Because of this I conclude, “Without electronic technology, popular music in the twenty first century is unthinkable” (Paul Théberge)

'What is popular music?'

It is difficult to give a precise definition as to what popular music is actually considered to be. The term ‘popular’ is coined as ‘from and of the people’ which automatically creates a hierarchy within its ‘common’ connotations. People may argue that because popular music is usually enjoyed by the masses, automatically it is pigeonholed into one specific music type. ‘Nessun Dorma’ sung by Pavarotti is one such example where something that was usually classed within a high music culture was regarded within a popular music status due to its connection with the 1990 world cup. This song entertained the masses however couldn’t be seen as going against high culture because it was a part of it. Popular music can be seen as a product from ‘music traditions, styles and influences’ (Shuker) and is ultimately determined by the values that society projects and is experiencing at the point of creation.