Final Prep -- Section 2-4 Flashcards
Explain the main findings of Willis, Hebdige, and Frith about music and subcultures
✦ Willis:
Youth use music to express identity and rebellion.
Subcultures form around shared music tastes.
Music = everyday tool for resistance to mainstream culture.
✦ Hebdige:
Style (clothes, music, slang) = symbolic resistance.
Subcultures “speak” through music and appearance.
Mainstream culture eventually absorbs and sells subcultures.
✦ Frith:
Music shapes how we feel, not just what we think.
It connects emotion, identity, and community.
Fans don’t passively listen—they give music personal meaning.
Summarize the conclusions of McRobbie and Garber.
Girls’ subcultures: Often overlooked but still rebellious in their own ways.
Gender roles: Shaped by society’s expectations of girls (relationships, appearance).
Subtle resistance: Girls resist mainstream norms, but more subtly than boys.
Media influence: Media shapes and reinforces girls’ subcultures and gender roles.
Brian Longhurst – Effects, Audiences and Subcultures
Audience Interpretation: Audiences are active, interpreting media based on their own social, cultural, and personal contexts.
Effects of Media: Media doesn’t directly dictate behavior, but it influences how individuals and subcultures perceive and respond to the world.
Subcultures and Media: Subcultures use media to form identities and express resistance, but they also reshape and reinterpret mainstream media content.
Negotiation of Meaning: Different audiences (especially subcultures) negotiate meanings and messages from media, challenging the idea of a one-way, passive influence from media to audience.
What does Longhurst feel is missing from this McRobbie and Garber’s study?
They overlook the diversity of girls’ experiences and the complexity of their subcultures
They focus too much on gendered stereotypes and miss the variety of roles, identities, and experiences that girls can have within subcultures.
What does Longhurst find fault with in Willis, Hebdige, and Frith’s findings about music and subcultures
Limited perspective on identity: They focus mostly on the dominant subcultures (like male youth groups) and overlook the diverse, complex ways people from different backgrounds interact with music.
Neglect of gender and class: They don’t fully account for how gender and class shape people’s engagement with music and subcultures.
Passive interpretations: He argues they might overemphasize the idea of resistance through music and miss how people can actively shape and redefine their identities through their musical choices.
Is the music industry being permanently superseded by new technologies? If so, which ones?
CDs & MP3s: Changed how people consume music, reducing labels’ control over distribution.
Streaming: Platforms like Spotify and Apple Music have overtaken physical sales, focusing on subscriptions.
Social Media & DIY: Artists now release music directly to fans, bypassing labels.
Music as Service: Music is more about access (streaming) than ownership (buying CDs).
The music industry isn’t gone but has transformed through streaming and independent distribution.
Big Six Recoding Labels
PolyGram
EMI
Warner Music Group
Sony Music
BMG
Universal
In 2005, Scherzinger noted the likelihood of further consolidation of the Big Six recording labels into a smaller group as they acquired each other. This has happened, and there are only three labels left (or perhaps fewer by the time you read this question). Does this prove or trouble Scherzinger’s argument?
This supports Scherzinger’s argument that consolidation of major labels would likely continue, as it reflects the trend of fewer players dominating the industry. However, it may also trouble the argument, as the dominance of a smaller number of labels may limit diversity and opportunities for independent artists, which Scherzinger might not have fully predicted.
In what way(s) did the business world change the image of classical music?
commercialized classical music by packaging it as a luxury product
transformed classical music from a cultural and artistic form into a marketable commodity, often linked to status and wealth
Is it reasonable to associate product placement in music videos with commercialization of the music itself? Why? What are some examples?
Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” featuring Pepsi logos.
Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream”, which had Mac makeup prominently displayed.
Drake’s “God’s Plan”, which prominently features financial donations, tying in with branding and corporate image.
These placements help generate revenue and blur the lines between music, entertainment, and advertising.
Summarize Scherzinger’s “Music, Corporate Power, and Unending War .”
Scherzinger talks about how the music industry is controlled by big companies, which affects the kind of music that gets made. He argues that these companies focus on making money, not promoting artistic creativity, and that music is often used to support war or corporate interests. He also points out that the music industry helps push certain political and social ideas, like supporting wars, because it benefits the powerful corporations involved.
In short, Scherzinger shows how the music industry is shaped by big companies that prioritize profit over creativity and social issues.
McRobbie and Garber argued for more attention to
___X___ subcultures.
female
- Scherzinger repeatedly refers to this book by Naomi Klein [two words].
No Logo
Similarities between Harry Potter and Star Wars
may reflect __________.
Archetypes
- Simon Jones discussed multiethnic cultural
practices and music in this British city.
Birmingham
- He coined the term “pseudo-individualization.”
Adorno
- Scherzinger outlines this group that dominates
mainstream music [two words].
Big Six
Longhurst refers to the direct effect model as the
__________ syringe view.
Hypodermic
His seminal essay on cultural production in an
industrialized age sought the “aura” of uniqueness and
authority in artworks.
Walter Benjamin
They invented modern love
Minstrels
Longhurst works from his theory of hegemony
Gramsci
He saw popular music as regressive
Adorno
Longhurst cites three circumstances or factors as significant in the rise of rock and roll. List them.
Technological Adanvances – new recording techniques and the rise of radio helped spread the genre
Cultural Changes – social and cultural shifts of the 1950s (post WWII, Baby Boom)
Racial Integration – helped bridge racial divides of African American artists
In your opinion, why do Longhurst and others have trouble referring to the period from the late 1950s to 1963 as the bland period in American rock music? Who were the stars in this period? How was their music different from early rock and rollers? Who was the audience for this softer rock music?
Despite the commercialization of rock music, it still saw significant shifts and innovation in sound.
Stars during this period included Buddy Holly, The Everly Brothers, and Connie Francis.
Their music differed from early rock and rollers by being more polished and less rebellious, focusing on softer, more melodic styles and often incorporating elements of pop. The audience for this softer rock music was largely teenagers and young adults, who were seeking music that was both mainstream and less provocative than the early, rebellious rock and roll.
What music did punk draw upon? What was punk seen as a reaction against?
Punk music drew upon garage rock and early rock influences, and was a reaction against mainstream commercialism, glam rock, and the excesses of the music industry.
What developments in rock are characterized by some as postmodern?
Postmodern developments in rock are characterized by genre-blending, irony, pastiche, and self-referentiality, where artists mix various musical styles, embrace a sense of playful contradiction, and often reference or deconstruct earlier musical forms.
Explain rock’s perceived political role. Who do its critics blame for the decline of rock’s political impact? How does Longhurst counter the criticism?
Rock was seen as a voice for rebellion and social change, but critics blame commercialization for its loss of political impact. Longhurst counters by saying rock evolved, with new forms of political expression focusing on identity and cultural critique.
Describe the characteristics of masculine rock, as opposed to those of feminine rock.
Masculine rock is typically characterized by aggression, loudness, rebellion, and a focus on individualism or dominance, often expressed through powerful guitar riffs and bold performances.
Feminine rock, on the other hand, tends to focus on emotion, vulnerability, and relationships, with a style that may be softer, more melodic, and reflective of personal or social issues.
Can Madonna be seen as a positive liberating force for her female listeners, or as a retrograde force?
Liberating Force: challenged societal norms, promoted sexual autonomy, empowered women to express themselves
Retrograde Force: her use of sexual imagery and controversial themes reninforced traditional gender roles and commodified femininity. Her sexual imagery regressed feminism
Describe the problems Frith finds with the concept of lyrical realism.
Frith argues that lyrical realism oversimplifies the relationship between song lyrics and reality, as it assumes lyrics directly reflect real-life experiences without considering the broader cultural context and musical elements. He critiques the notion that lyrics alone can convey meaning without the influence of performance, genre, and audience interpretation.
What does Frith say is more important than song lyrics? Why might this be true?
Frith believes the music itself—including melody, rhythm, and arrangement—is more important than lyrics because it creates the emotional tone and connects with listeners on a deeper, often subconscious level.
According to Frith, how do pop songs influence the listener?
Frith suggests that pop songs influence listeners by creating a sense of connection to a shared cultural experience, evoking emotions and shaping identities. They can also shape attitudes or reflect social norms through their widespread presence in media and daily life.
Think about the songs that have most influenced you. Were these songs influential because of their music, or their lyrics, or because of circumstances you associate with them? Do you like lyrics with similar themes or subjects? answer each in 2 sentences
Love for Taylor Swift is often connected to her lyrics and storytelling through lyrics.
Love for the song American Pie comes from listening ot it live in Temple Bar while everyone sang along (experience).
This medium relied on small-scale advertising budgets that connected to local audiences or target demographics.
Radio
This was the first form of “rock” to develop in Memphis.
Rockabilly
Longhurst calls this a “disputed term” characterized by the breakdown of “meta-narratives.”
Post-modernism
The Big Six have now become the Big _____.
Three
______ laments the loss of the Dionysian element of rock.
Paglia
Big ____ sang the first version of “Hound Dog.”
Mama
_____ would not perform with Willie Mae Thornton.
Elvis
Is Modern Times a tragedy or a comedy?
a comedy with tragic elements
What does Modern Times address?
social issues like poverty, industrialization, and the dehumanizing effects of technology
What figures play the villains in this Modern Times?
Industrialization and Capitalism
Explain the specific points that Chaplin is trying to make.
Dehumanization of Workers: factory scenes show how industrialization reduces people to mere cogs in the machine
Exploitation and Poverty: the Tramp and others struggle to survive in a system that prioritizes efficieny over well being
The Impact of Technology: shown through the absurdity of the assembly line work and factory conditions
The Struggle for Dignity and Hope: the Tramps’ resilience and optimism suggest a critique of a society that dismisses human dignity in favour of profit
