Lecture 4 - Communication Theory

Task 2 - Popular Music

Theodor Adorno's judgement on popular music was centred around what he claimed was
"the fundamental characteristic of popular music: standardisation" (Adorno, T, 1941, 'On popular music', Studies in Philosophy and Social Science :73)
Lady Gaga has established herself on the global music stage at an unprecedented rate over the last couple of years. She is identified through being distinctly unique, particularly in terms of her dress and performance styles. You could think therefore that Lady Gaga's individuality would have been applauded by somebody of Adorno's viewpoint. However, once you strip away the outlandish characteristics of her personality, her music is not vastly different to that of other pop stars; in terms of its structure, its sounds and also its subject - romance. These are all elements Adorno identified as necessary to fulfilling what the listener is led to believe they want to hear.
"The composition hears for the listener" (Adorno, T, 1941, 'On popular music', Studies in Philosophy and Social Science :77)
So then it could be said that Lady Gaga has built a bridge perfectly between being highly individual and appealing to the mainstream. All of this has subsequently led to her 'Bad Romance' video receiving over 314 million views on Youtube and her becoming one of the most famous people in the world. She also holds the claim of having the most Facebook fans and Twitter followers and so it could be argued that popular music fans are conforming behind her pseudo-individuality.