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.