1. Introduction to the Music Industry!

People's music taste can define their lifestyle from their fashion choices to their accent and even the global community can be changed. It is commonly said that 'music can change your life' including specific songs changing people's view of the world. However, music can also be very controversial to the point of 'tribalism.'

'Tribes' are in a simple form like music genres for example heavy metal, 'mainstream' pop, rock and rap.  From these 'main' genres you get sub-genres within, for example, heavy meal extends off into grindcore, black metal and thrash metal and rock extends off into Blues-Rock, hard rock, pop rock and even heavy metal is a subgenre of heavy metal.

There is a lot of tension in the music industry between the artistic and commercial forces - the 'organic' (such as Amy Macdonald producing music to express emotion how she wants) and the 'synthetic' those who have been 'created' by the industry in a certain light for money instead of emotion (One Direction.)

 

Music is linked with other technologies - synergetic connections - to create more of an effect. For example, if we had not seen Susan Boyle her voice would not have had much of an effect. Susan Boyle's First Audition! The way they portray her with the interviews beforehand create her image of a bit of a fool (mentioning her cats etc.) and so her voice has even more effect.


There are 5 Transnational Corporations that are the main companies and are more commonly known as the 'Majors.'

1. Universal
2. Sony
3. Warner Bros.
4. BMG
5. EMI

As well as being a major, many own or licence a smaller subsidiary company so they can reach to wider audiences. However, there are lots of small independent companies with no connection to the majors and these are simply called the 'Independents.'