Task 2 - On Popular Culture.

From the beginning of the essay written by Adorno we see his judgement into popular music and its lack of functionality. Adorno explains and argues throughout his analysis that popular music is a pointless hobby which only those who don't want to learn listen to and which does not help in any way progress society. On various occasions it is compared with 'serious music' which sums up his thoughts on its inferiority and lack of 'culture'.

Adorno explains that "the whole structure of popular music is standardized, even where the attempt is made to circumvent standardization." Simply, this statement means that every bit of popular music produced is the same. Made to a set of standards which means the songs/sound tracks etc always sound exactly the same. Even when the artist is attempting to be different they in fact are still conforming to these rules of popular music. As well as this Adorno seems to interrogate even the listener as well as the artist as he says "the whole is pre-given and pre-accepted, even before the actual experience of the music starts: therefore, it is not likely to influence, to any great extent, the reaction to the details, except to give them varying degrees of emphasis." Adorno is now explaining that the listener need not put any thought into listening to the music as they already know what it will sound like, "the composition hears for the listener"(pg 77), yet they still listen to it, still like it and will no doubt buy more of the same music. In expressing this, Adorno is explaining that this type of music is in fact for those who can not be bothered to think, those who are lazy and do not want to grow intellectually. Of course, this is summing up a lot of people who in fact are all very different and listen to the music for various reasons. Though, the concept that popular music is all standardized is very near to the truth.

The term Psuedo-individualisation is key in linking Adorno's thoughts with other areas of popular culture. The term simply means fake individualisation. Especially in the current post-modern culture this term is very important. Each person is made to feel different to everyone else by the type of music they listen to, the films they watch and the clothes they wear but in fact each of these aspects of society have been rigged so that the consumer will indeed consume. We begin to base our identities on these things which in turn makes us different from everyone else yet, we forget that in fact it is produced for everyone to like and for everyone to understand. In trying to be different we become the same. This can be linked with the term 'ideology' as it is all part of the western culture we were born into, something we could not change and a thought process which has be engraved into us. Adrono also picks up on the concept that if "Unhidden they would provoke resistance"(pg 78). Which seems to say that if we knew that the music was all the same made so that we would buy it, we probably would not buy it anymore.

Considering all of this, it still stands that music is made to be heard and enjoyed, which, as explained by Adorno, goes without saying, but this is not a bad thing. In understanding that I listen to the same music as everyone else and wear the same clothes as everyone else, I don't feel less of an individual as it is more the experiences which come with these consumerist parts of society.