Is the audience for popular music created by the music industry?

Roy Shuker argues ‘that the market for popular music recordings, and therefore the pop music audience itself are essentially created by the music industry’ and to some extent, I agree. Within today’s society, music is largely regarded as an economic product with record companies striving for maximum profits. Shuker claims that this has lead to homogenous music style, which shows little variation but will always ensure success. Specific trends within music styles however is not something, which can be predetermined and so one could argue this reduces the amount of homogenised music within mainstream culture. Audiences do highly depend on the music industry for their music consumption, however it is unrealistic to say styles are forced upon them.

When looking at both popular music artists and audiences it is clear that the music industry is a predominant influencing factor. The structure adopted by the industry always insures success for consumer and commodity.

NME review

For any indie snobs that regard themselves as too cool for school, NME offers a strong insight into the indie/alternative music scene. Seen as the figurehead within its genre, a certain superiority is maintained with the foreseeing of future artists, which are set to dominate the ‘NME stereo’. This mag immediately shunts out the weak and non-familiar and quickly redirects them back to like the likes of smash hits and other such delights. It raises the bar with its passion for both current and old school sounds, creating an insistent love affair for ‘genuine’ music fans. Its ‘involved’ writing form and ‘tell it as it is’ attitude connotates a style with substance approach, which anyone would find difficult to argue with. Finally with its mixture of artists reviews, gig-line up’s and quirky adverts, any self respecting indie enthusiast would be crazy not to regard NME as nothing less than the bible.