The aesthetic concerns of pop music texts focus on the co-textual, para-textual and external elements of the song.įour steps will be followed in order to find the answers to these questions.ģDuring the first step I will attempt to define what “pop music” is. Pop music is not judged in strictly musical terms. Moreover, mass media devote their space to songs and performers whose main credit lies in having an appealing face or look, an exciting way of dancing, a catchy song with a catchy chorus, an impressive music video, some intriguing rumours about their so-called “private life”. 2 Yet, if we think about the role of media in diffusing music, there is another question to answer: what kind of music do the mass media try to promote? In other words, do mass media think in term of “good music” and “bad music”?ĢMass media, especially radio and TV, judge music as being “appropriate” and “effective” if it reaches their commercial target. But how does music reach these people? Certainly, this occurs through the commercial distribution of a record, but music reaches its audience mainly through the mass media. As pointed out by many researchers, 1 this definition comes – from the fact that it is widely appreciated by a large number of people. 2 An example of this is the quantitative research conducted in Italy by ISTAT – the national statisti (.)ġ When trying to define the contemporary music we listen to everyday – through radio broadcasts, music videos, songs on our stereo or as mood music while we are in a public place – many questions arise.
1 See the work of Philip Tagg (2003 with Bob Clarida), and Richard Middleton (1994).In the last part, a particular text is considered (Eminem’s music video Without me) to show that, no matter how good or bad, in visual media image and performance prevail over music. Thirdly, there will be a discussion about how the media evaluate pop music in non-musical terms, focusing particularly on music videos, MTV and video music channels. The second part briefly outlines the six nodes that create a web through which pop music is diffused: the recorded song, the performance, the musical press, radio, traditional visual media, and new media. Pop music is an intermedial and intertextual phenomenon defined by its position in the contemporary mediascape. This term must not to be considered as a synonym for “popular music”, but as a specific branch in this field. In the first, the essay will attempt to define what “pop music” is. The aesthetic concerns of pop music texts now focus mainly on the co-textual, para-textual and external elements of the song, that appear with all their impact force especially in music videos such as Without Me. It will try to demonstrate that, with the ever growing role of media in imposing artists characterized by a good look or ability to impose their figure through controversies, we can say that music is no longer evaluated or judged by following “traditional” critical terms that rely on music itself. This paper deals with the role of media in diffusing music, focusing particularly on music videos and Eminem’s Without Me.
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