Theories of Mass Culture and Music

Paper Summary:

This paper outlines the opposing standpoints of Adorno and Benjamin on popular music, with specific reference to their view of the consumer. The value of these theories are then discussed with reference to the later theories of David Riesman and Henry Pleasants, Andrew Chester, Simon Frith, Richard Middleton and Max Paddison.

From the Paper:

"Yet, even if the consumer's perceptive capacity is limited, there is still scope for individual choice, and thus for varying levels of the self-reflective in popular music. If consumers use their music to construct their identity, there will always be a market for these varying levels. As Frith suggests, 'the question should be 'how can popular music construct people?'' A reflection of the person behind the consumer in popular music rejects Adorno's claim that the industry invalidates the individual. Longhurst and Shuker explore this further in their analysis of the industry's sub-cultures, which allow mass identity to segregate and the potential for the individual to find their own route."

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