PP6 Creating Popular Culture Flashcards
Hiccup
Bb
Legal System
■Copyright law and pop culture
All music shares inspiration from prior musical works, especially within a particular musical genre. By eliminating any meaningful standard for drawing the line between permissible inspiration and unlawful copying, the judgment is certain to stifle creativity and impede the creative process. The law should provide clearer rules so that songwriters can know when the line is crossed, or at least where the line is.“- Amicus Brief filed by over 200 artists in support of Blurred Lines lawsuit.
How is pop culture created?
■Created within a social and cultural context
■Practical matters also create how and what type of pop culture is produced
■For example: Hip Hop with emphasis on bass
■Building and acoustics can affect what sounds good
■For example: cathedrals hymns and simple non-percussive music
Collaborative Circles
■Collective worlds of creativity formed among friends- Michael P. Farrell
■“Formed among peers who meet through social networks and who share occupations or interests in particular disciplines”
■Driven by a sense of shared rebellion against authority figures or prevailing beliefs or approaches
■Different members take on different roles such as Devil’s Advocate and Gatekeeper
■Over time, pairs are formed and this partnership results in higher creative drive
■Ownership of work might become confusing
Writers: C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien
EX: Collaborative Circle!
They went to Oxford University together.
They taught English! Contemporary Literature
They influenced each other. Religious.
CS Lewis wrote: Chronicles of Narnia!
Pop culture as collaborative activity
■Pop culture is the result of collaboration
■Not a solitary activity
Pop culture as a collaborative activity
■Myth of the romantic, starving artist/tortured genius- rap music disproves this
■Cultural producers work collaboratively
■Creations are in tune with cultural conventions and social expectations
–Even when rebelling there is a traditional pattern to those rebellions
Cultural Conventions: “Rebellion”
Cultural Conventions:
“Rebellion” breaking the boundaries
May be greeted with criticism OR approval
■Taken for granted rules and agreed upon assumptions
■Makes collaborative action possible
■Pop culture production efficient
■Simplify and improve efforts among culture creators
■Some conventions are easily broken
–Kill Bill Vol.1 and Vol 2.
Cultural Conventions: ART
Chris Ofili- Elephant dung Virgin Mary
New York City
New York City
■Incubator to the nations greatest achievements in homegrown art and music
■Cities-> Urbanism
■Urbanism
–Number of residents
–Population density
–Degree of human diversity
■Three elements essential to production of culture
■Encourages formation of subcultures
–Collective social worlds that stand apart from larger society
■Diversity
–Unifying factor
–Dividing factor
–Ensures variety among subcultures
–Human density bolsters intensity
–Large populations provide participants in subcultures->vitality and longevity
Western Europe and North America in late 1800s How is pop culture created?
■Mass production was essential precursor to pop culture
■Industrial revolution and mechanization of production
■Debate 1
■Fred Schroeder disagrees with the origins stated above
–“our tendency to equate pop culture with various forms of entertainment obscures our ability to recognize other objects and places as “popular””
–We equate pop culture with “western” and “American”
–Egypt clay mold for funerals and other rituals
■Indicators of the alienation of creator from product
■Molds are the most obvious of mass production techniques
■Ancient popular culture
How is pop culture created?
How is pop culture created?
■Debate 2
■Is pop culture created and imposed by the elite for social control? Critical/Conflict
–Mid 20th century- pessimistic view- Adorno and Horkheimer
–People are unquestioning recipients of media messages and pop culture
■Debate 3
■Is pop culture “created by the people, for the people”? Interactionist
–Disagree with Adorno and Horkheimer
–There is an interaction between production and consumption
–Cultural studies focuses heavily on consumers and their power
Pop Culture Focus on the human element
■Who are the people that actually produce pop culture?
■Artists and support personnel
■Pop culture produced by countless people
–Collective work of
–Innumerable creators and support personnel
–Under profit seeking multinational company
What is ZEITGEIST?
1) It reflects on thoughts and
2) feelings of a specific time period= (zeitgeist)
■Also reflects other sociological realities:
–Legal system
■How is pop culture regulated by laws?
–Technological realities
■How is pop culture manufactured and performed
–Organizational apparatus
■How pop culture is sold and promoted
Legal System: Copyrights: Platt-Simmonds Act
■1891 Platt-Simmonds Act
COPYRIGHTS
■The creation of unique American characters
- copyright protection recognized
■Foreign authors
-no copyright protection
-cheaper books
- wider audience and consumer base
Technological Constraints/Conditions: CD’s
■When was the last time you bought an entire album?
■MP3 format makes buying individuals songs easier and cheaper
■Pop song length- 3-4 minutes- rpm (rotations per minute) records
–If it isn’t broken…
–Survival
■Concept album
–Listen in one sitting
–Cohesive narrative
How LOUD is your music?
The loudness of recorded music is increasing by about one decibel every eight years.
Organizational Apparatus: (New Wave & Britain popularity)
■Who decides what is promoted and sold? How it is promoted and sold?
■Example of New Wave Music’s popularity
■British New Wave music in the 80’s
–Direct reflection of organizational apparatus
■MTV- promotional music videos- debut in 81
■Video production of music not significant
■Music videos popular in Great Britain
Organizational Apparatus: “Radio”
–Radio airplay “best way” to get recorded music to the public
■Play the song often
■People may like it and buy it
■Billions in sales
–Video exposure is another way to expose public to music
■Creating videos was expensive- out of reach for newer artists
■Exposure can come via social media- Youtube, Twitter, Facebook
■Which songs make it to the market? Marketing decides
–Test songs- snippets
■Snippets don’t need listener attentiveness
■Type of snippets played must be catchy
■Songs with lyric complexity/new genres don’t suit such marketing
CollaborativeCircles: Painters: Monet & Renoir
They hung out so much that they influenced each other’s paitings
They met at the same cafe & drank coffee!
3 Things Pop Culture must have: URBANISM
- # OF Population
- Population Density
- Degree of human diversity
What are Cultural Conventions?
Agreed upon rules & norms which help make cultural production more efficient
T or F: Ppl can react positive or negative to a Cultural Convention
TRUE
What did Fred Schroeder argue/disagree about ancient Egypt?
He said they equate to pop culture with “Western & American” Pop Culture
He said Egypt had pop culture
The statues made from molds
The clay molds for funerals and other rituals= SERVANTS
