Are blackness and whiteness useful concepts in the study of pop music?

As a way of describing a particular type of music I would not agree this to be a useful way to describe a piece of pop music. I do not believe music can or should be segregated in this fashion due to the idea that white and black artists rend to inspire each other. Many blues and folk artists were black and inspired many of some of greatest rock legends of the last century and yet rock music is still a very multicultural thing. Modern R&B is something you could possibly name as black music as many of the artists in this genre are black, however when we look at those who listen to R&B we can see that the audience is mostly mixed race therefore I don't believe we can simply call R&B black music. While I still believe that music is culturally defined, I also believe that it can influence anyone who listens to it and that the audience decides what it should be called, therefore I think this concept is an unhelpful way of describing pop music.

Does the emergence of the digital download signal the end of the music industry?

In effect the music industry is a multi corporation that is ever present and on going. Downloading from the internet does to some extent rob the industry of some profit but it still does not prevent them from making millions yearly on overpriced CD and digital download sales. I also believe in the concept of the honest customer which is a situation where a person downloads music "illegally" from limewire or bittorrent but at the same time buys albums from shops or from itunes, particularly from artists they think deserves the profit and wish to pay the prices of the industry, therefore so long as the concept continues the music industry can't exactly end. I highly appreciate Ian Condry's comment: "downloading music is ethical provided we support the artists who listen to." Though in a sense, artists can be heavily hypocritical as some of the most famous modern artists started their careers using free distribution do make their music well know, but once they become famous they are against it. Despite the moral question behind downloading I do not believe it spells the end of the music industry.

Can pop music genuinely achieve political change?

By observing the various artists that have existed in the last sixty years we can in some ways agree that in several ways pop music has assisted in altering the way people think which in turn has led to politic change. There are no direct examples of this save what we have seen in the history of pop music. The 1970s through to the 80s are without a doubt the most profound anti government musical entities with the rise of bands such as Rage Against The Machine, The Specials, Foo Fighters ect. who sung songs of a highly rebellious tone which doubtlessly changed the ways in how people, especially young people, viewed politics and the government. However I would not agree that these types of music: rock, punk, ska, ultimately affected political change, moreover they assisted in creating a musical ideology and that aided the rebellious youth.   

What Is World Music?

The idea of "World Music" can be determined under two meanings. The first portraying the idea of world music being viewed as something of a multi cultural entity, where all conceivable elements of music from around the world, not just in English speaking countries, are distributed and listened to on a global scale. These elements of music can be formed by any genre and usually have more of a cultural nature as to how they sound.

The second idea of world music could be viewed as music that is controlled and exported by the general media of usually the USA and UK as the English speaking media impacts the world on a global scale. The result of this concept generates a world music of almost global domination where many countries adopt pop music ect. as their main music which somewhat robs them of making music suited to their own culture. The USA is particularly influential in this matter as the drive to "sing American" is something that affects many non-American music artists developing music.

Is Pop music a mass produced commodity or a genuine art form?

In the modern world, it is agreeable to suggest that Pop music is a more manufactured and mass produced entity rather than a form of art. The reason for this assumption comes from the perception of how do you define art in terms of music? Art is nearly aways subjected to opinion, especially in terms of music, so it is difficult to define pop music as art. I also believe that modern day pop music that is portrayed on the TV and radio supports the idea that it is merely a form of mass production. With the exception of a few artists, the image and how they are made to look is nearly always at the centre of a pop musicians music rather than the music itself Lady Gaga is an example of this. Theodore Adorno's theory of Pseudo-individulasim is a an accurate assumption of how pop music is mass produced and used to manipulate people into believing that what they are listening to is original. For this reason I do not believe that modern day pop can be seen as art.

How useful is a production of cultural perspectives in understanding the birth of Rock n Roll?

As Rock and Roll music is based around the huge social changes of the 1950s, I think it is highly useful to observe the birth of rock music from a cultural perspective. Rock and Roll was generated by culture, but I also believe that the music was created by not one cultural element but several which all contributed in the development of this legendary music which has existed for 60+ years. The social changes of the era play a key part as it was the beginning of the teenage/rebel era and I think this cultural element helped spark the popularity of the music. The famous artists themselves have a huge amount of responsibility for the birth of the music, but I would also agree that most of the key artists, such as The Ravens, were generally formed from an African American cultural background, and I believe much of the blues rhythm that was created comes from African American bands. So I believe that all these factors  were key during the era, to the birth of Rock n Roll.

Is reasonable to consider that rock music is gendered male?

By looking at the many rock artists that have risen to fame in the last sixty years I believe it is fair to assume that rock music is dominated by a more male role than female, especially when it comes to the electric guitar. But I would not category it as a solely male thing.  I believe that during the time when some of the greatest rock legends were on the rise (Berry, Hendrix, Dylan) it was a social ideology that men were those who were the rockers, with guitars ect. and women were not. Despite this however, women were a fundamental presence in the rise of rock and roll, but not in the way of guitar (which is commonly recognized as the heart and soul of rock n roll) but more in vocals and we have numerous examples of female rock stars throughout the years. I am inclined to agree though, that even in modern day society, the concept of rock guitar is portrayed as a more masculine thing on a wider scale, despite personally knowing several women who play guitar.   

Will pop music ever be unplugged?

Pop music is something that affects millions of people everyday and is a constant aspect to commercial music throughout the world. It also holds enormous profitable gain within most corporations throughout the world of the media. The existence of pop music is formed via people's musical interests and the industry trying to make money,so as long as these two factors exist, pop music will continue to be a consistent entity within the world today. There is also the idea that pop music is an ever changing and ever ceaseless thing which captivates the attention of millions of people everyday and as we progress into the modern era, and music advertisement and industry continue, I don't see a day when pop music (especially the stuff played on the TV or radio) will ever end, due to the constantly changing musical environment. Again, when i think about Pop music I am always referring to what I see and hear on the TV and Radio, because I assume that music has been deemed popular by a wide audience of people.

What is Pop Music?

Popmusic, by definition, is music that is deemed popular by a large audience of people (target audience is usually young people) which is circulated through the media and music industry mostly by the use of TV and radio. Exactly what makes popular music "popular" is difficult to determine. I personally believe that a majority of the popmusic that circulates within the music industry is heavily manufactured where certain artists are merely created by the industry rather than self generated and due to the fact that it is heavily advertised by the media people at a young age are more prone to listen to it which makes that music fall under the popmusic catergory, that is my assumption of what pop music is really about.

However, trying to understand the definition of popmusic can go either way, due to the fact that anything can theoretically be "popular" whether it's classical music, rock, punk, jazz ect, it's up to the listener.