John Erck - Capitalism and Romantic Ideology in the Record Business
Jon Stratton argues that the record business is driven by an art style which emphasizes the personal, emotional and dramatic through the use of exotic, literary or historical subject matter.
Popular culture has always been a “conversation” between and amongst those that have participated. As in any industry, there are suppliers and consumers. The same concept applies to the record business. What is unique about the record business are the methods and driving forces behind the consumption and supply.
Music is an emotional product. People listen to music because they like not so much the way it sounds, but rather the way it makes them feel. Music therefore cannot be mundane in nature. Each piece of music must fit a certain style or bring out a certain feeling within the listener. In order to satisfy these needs, the music business has tended to lean towards emotional and exotic subject matter.
When listening to music with this in mind, it is easy to hear that the majority of popular music is driven by such emotional and exotic subject matter. This correlates tightly with a lot of the other material we’ve discussed in class. What we’ve seen over the last few decades has been a social shift. The shift has been towards a more open and exotic/eclectic society. It’s difficult to say whether music has played a role in driving this shift or if the music is a reflection of the changes. In truth, it’s probably a combination of both.