Is the audience for popular music created by the music industry?

When looking at this question we need to take into account what the music industry consists of. The music industry includes recording companies such as Universal, EMI, Sony/BMG and Warner, music retail such as HMV, music press, merchandising and music technology such as musical instruments and recording and reproducing technology. Now knowing what the music industry consists of we can see that the audience for popular music is most definitely created by the music industry. To support this Bruce Horner and Thomas Swiss state, “audiences depend on the music industry for access to music – access which is available predominantly through such economic transactions as purchasing records and tickets and selling and advertising.” (1999: p228) Without music retail such as HMV, audiences would not be able to access or buy their music. However, this idea is thought to be too simplistic. Some might say that it is not realistic to suggest that popular music can exist entirely unmediated by the forces of the music industry, yet I believe that the music industry does in fact create the audience for popular music.

Review on Hip Hop Magazine

Whilst reviewing Hip Hop magazine, it was clear to me that the potential target audience is that of a young, black male. Due to the continuous use of ‘black’ rap artists such as Nas, 50 Cent and Jay-Z, I felt that there was a clear bias towards a black audience. Additionally, considering that hip-hop and rap genre music is seen to be ‘black’ music, the magazine relates to this genre and appeals to this idea of a young, black male. The magazine uses very derogatory terms when talking about white people, for example the extract in the hip-hop gallery ‘Black people don’t cry’ states, “I know white people have stolen a lot from us, so let those devils keep jazz, rock and swing dancing as well as their contemptible white Jesus.” Finally, the use of a topless female with an article on who she is is a clear attraction to a male audience. Whilst this has been a negative review, the magazine obviously has appeal to its intended audience.