Is Popular Music a mass-produced commodity or a genuine art form?

To be able to know whether popular music is a mass-produced commodity or a genuine art form we need to understand what we think art is. I believe that art is a way of expression and a product of human creativity. Additionally I believe that a mass-produced commodity is something that can be produced in large quantities and turned to commercial. Some musicians create music purely because they are inspired, not to make money, thus meaning that popular music is in fact a genuine art form. However, it could be said that as soon as the music becomes popular and the artist is signed by a record company, popular music becomes a mass-produced commodity and is therefore no longer a genuine art form. Theodor W. Adorno agreed with this and said, “The popular music industry is an all consuming production line that churns out mass produced, inferior commodities. However, just because a song is mass-produced does this stop popular music from necessarily being a genuine art form as well? I believe that in the past popular music was purely a genuine art form, however nowadays, due to the fact that the same styles and beats are used, popular music is now a mass-produced commodity.