Postmodernism and Music

The postmodern sensibility that anything can be considered cool in an ironic ‘I know it’s bad, but it’s so bad it’s good way’.

I feel this point refers to a person’s guilty pleasure for a song, where they initially ‘hate‘ it when first viewing it, but the song then grows on them due to the chosen features to it being ‘catchy’. This may include the style and beat of the music, the video and possibly the artist (whereby the artist’s fans would stay loyal however horrendous the song). As an example, the song by LMFAO, has most probably been frown upon by many people, however the catchy tune, lyrics and video is what creates the fan base. As well as this, the idea of the song being humorous makes it popular as many people will be replicating the song, but in a humorous manner and through this the song then becomes a popular hit as it will be seen as ‘one of those songs’. in the video there is also the iconic dance moves which people may replicate, and this is common throughout LMFAO songs. A reason for them ding this could possibly be due to their music having a ‘love or hate it‘ approach which is my people may refer to it as a ‘guilty pleasure‘; therefore they must ensure they’re gaining fans. On the other hand a person may use the ‘I know it’s bad, but it’s so bad it’s good‘ as an excuse. As an example a person may genuinely enjoy a song that a majority of people repel, therefore to avoid embarrassment, they use the ironic phrase. 

Work that is created based (entirely or in part) on older material. This incorporates sampling and will take you from the realms of hip hop culture transporting you finally in today’s modern fragmented musical landscape. You will have to listen to some of the artists to fully appreciate them and their work

I feel this is referring to how some artists ‘use’ or ‘copy’ elements from already existing songs whether this be the music or the lyrics. Many artists are criticized for ‘copying’ other artists such as Lady Gaga ‘apparently’ copying Madonna. Music becomes post modern because existing elements are being incorporated into something more modern. However it is most likely possible to apply every modern song to some aspects of old songs such as the style or music, suggesting that songs are no longer original and everything evolves around in a circle. For example certain fashions and tastes tend to come back around. It is also a lot harder to create something new without having any influences by other artists. As an example the Black Eyed Pea’s song ‘The Time’ includes the classic lyrics ‘I’ve had the time of my life’ that have been directly copied. The lyrics and tune is well known from the film Dirty Dancing and it is sung by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes. The song has been modernized by mixing two genres together to create a song that appeals to a ‘modern’ audience.








Audiences that are both niche and mainstream. E.g.: Radio 1, 1xtra, BBC6, XFM

I feel this may apply to the playlists of radio stations and the particular person on the radio. Stations such as capital play music that is currently in the charts which is determined by how many times the track is bought. However some artists that are aimed at niche audiences do also get played on mainstream radio. As an example, Ben Howard’s ‘The Wolves’.





The ways in which people engage and listen to music. E.g.: iPod, DAB, mobile phones etc. 

The ways people can engage and listen to music has much advanced from ways such as vinyls. The technological change has allowed people to engage in music wherever they want, such as iPods where you can listen to music ‘on the go’ has become increasingly popular. The more advanced ways allows people greater access to music such as quick downloads rather than going out and buying a hard copy disk which possibly has increased music sales. There are also programs such as ‘Spotify’ where you can create your own playlist making it personal for the individual.

The legal issues surrounding sampling. (Led Zeppelin ‘borrowed’ heavily from old bluesmen and it took years for the songwriters to be credited and paid royalties. The same group took a hard-line stance initially to be sample by hip hop groups).

There is a lot of criticism amongst modern artists for supposedly ‘copying’ or ‘borrowing’ other artists music or lyrics and some artists pay the original artist for using their material. Although it seems fair to do so, surely the original artist copied another artist before them? Therefore is the dramatic problem these artists and the media make sometimes really necessary or fair when considering that everyone has to look at previous work to gain inspiration, guidance or influence? If taken too far, it may result in an endless battle to who is the original! An example is Lady Gaga’s copying of Madonna’s work. 

The state of the music industry incorporating any recent developments that change how we access/interact with music e.g.: Spotify, X factor, iTunes, illegal downloading, free cds with newspapers etc.

The movement of the music industry due to technology has transformed the way we can now listen, get hold of and keep music. Technology has made getting music more convenient for us as we can now download and stream music without leaving our own homes. I feel that the advances of the technology have improved the amount of music we are presented to for example, every shop you walk into has iPods playing music throughout the shop and also programs on TV such as X factor. Technology has allowed for music to become more personal to the individual as they can create their own playlists and buy songs out of albums without owning the whole album. However the disadvantages are the availability to illegally download and although you can create your own playlists, the reliance of it being on a computer gets rid of the personal ownership gained from CDs and vinyls etc.