ABC Newcastle Music Awards

I was reminded today about the upcoming Newcastle ABC Music Awards. I have heard about these awards but never really knew much about them, so I looked into it and found yet another splendid way of acknowledging and ‘getting out there’ the huge range of music talent in Newcastle.

 

According to the Award’s website, the awards are held each year with the aim of encouraging and supporting local talent in the Newcastle and Central Coast area. Any artist can enter, as an individual or part of a band (or both), as long as the music piece they are submitting is an original work. Entries can be submitted across many different genres, including urban, heavy rock, soundtrack, instrumental, jazz, pop, blues & roots, country, contemporary, folk and alternative.

The judging panel, comprised of 1233 ABC Broadcasters, genre and music industry specialists and musicians (who have obviously not entered the competition themselves this year…that goes without saying!), looks at song entries in terms of composition (structure, arrangement, lyrics and melody), performance (instrumental and vocal skills) and overall appeal. It is noted that radio ‘playability’ is also considered but is not a factor that ‘breaks the camel’s back.’
The Top 10 songs from each category are selected by the judging panel and listed on the ABC website, as well as being put on to a CD which is sent off to the Finalist Judges.

Judges give each song a rating out of 10 and the 5 songs that amass the most points form the Top 5 in each category. The winners are then announced at the awards ceremony which will be held on November 6th.

In addition to a winner in each genre category, there will be 3 major prizes given out, for the ABC Music Artist/Band of the Year, APRA/ABC Music Publishing Songwriter of the Year, and the 1233 Tour Support Prize.
The prizes for each of these are quite substantial – the Songwriter of the Year will receive $1000, the Band of the Year receives a recording deal with ABC Music valued at $5000, and the 1233 Tour Support Prize awards $1233 worth of tour support including half a day with an established music publicist.

I was really glad I looked into these awards; as I said I have heard about them in previous years but never really paid too much attention to it. We have talked in this class before about the struggles up-and-coming artists face in getting their music ‘out there’ and heard by the people that matter. Simon Frith himself recognises this problem, stating, “Individual artists and performers are rarely in a position themselves to get their work to the public. They need to contract other people – agents, promoters, publishers, record companies – to organise and promote concert tours, to manufacture scores and records of CD’s” (2001, p.34).
I think these awards are brilliant. Not only does it give any original* artist – regardless of background or genre – the chance to enter the competition and get their music out there, but it is actually a competition that matters and makes a difference. Even just being named as a finalist means your music will go on a CD to be heard by people that matter (i.e the judging panel, comprised of industry players). Also, all entrants are being asked to send their MySpace address, so their entry can be linked to their page. This is a great example of the awards organisers adapting to technology and the needs of its consumers and has advantages for both sides – the artist is able to publicise themselves that little bit more, and respondents have the chance to easily find their MySpace page and listen to more of the artist’s music.
The winners of the major prizes are lucky enough to get more than a piece of paper and a bit of cash – they get put directly in contact with people who have the ability to turn their talent into real success - get the album recorded, publicised and out there, or record a video.

I also really like that there is a huge emphasis on keeping these awards local. The entry form stipulates that entrants must be residents of Lake Macquarie, Newcastle, the Upper or Lower Hunter or Port Stephens, and to have lived in the area for the last 6 months (at least) or for at least 7 of the past 15 years. This shows that obviously the organisers are concerned with helping Newcastle-raised or based artists get their music out there, which is fantastic, and it also shows that media organisations in Newcastle, the ABC in particular, have faith in the talent and quality of music coming out of this area, and are keen to help that music reach its full potential. That, my friends, is something pretty cool indeed, and I will be making sure to follow the progress of the awards this year!

 

* While entries into these categories must be original, there is actually an award that has been introduced this year to recognise the talent of cover bands. I’m still undecided as to whether I’m a fan of cover bands or not, but I think this award is a fantastic idea. I was about to go into the reasons why, until I looked again at the site and realised I couldn’t say it better than the organisers:

“Newcastle is, unashamedly, a real Cover Band town, and many talented musicians earn an honest crust by playing the Greats and Favourites in pubs and clubs around the region. It takes considerable musical skill and creative nous to make a good cover, and many musos play covers to pay the bills – thereby funding their own original musical endeavours and honing their own songwriting, musical and performance skills. It would therefore be fair to say that (albeit indirectly) the covers scene in Newcastle is supporting local original music!”

 

Reference:

Frith, S. (2001). ‘The Popular Music Industry’ in Frith, S., Straw, W., and Street, J. (eds.) The Cambridge Companion to Pop and Rock. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 

Just in case..

i already published this on the “music scenes” page. But when i looked at my number of posts on here this didnt appear probably because its a page and not a post. Just in case, I wanted to put it on the main page so it was accounted for for grading purposes.

We are examining the under represented music scene of Newcastle Australia. To do this, we must examine this subculture in order to fully understand the meaning and values of this music scene. I would say that subcultures are certain values, attitudes, beliefs, styles and ideas that belong to and are shared by a certain group or class. I also believe that whenever style and music intersect, is where you will find subcultures. In the Clarke, Stuart Hall, Jefferson and Roberts’s article titled, “Subcultures, Cultures and Class”, they made a point that subcultures take shape around distinctive activities and focal concerns of different groups—specifically concentrating on youth subcultures. This article concentrates on style and the different types of youth subcultures. I believe that this is a very necessary topic in relation to teh Newcastle music scene because in order to understand different music, it is essential to understand the groups that listen to it and how they act as a certain subculture. Music itself is essentially a subculture in the sense that it differentiates from the wider culture. In the “Subcultures, Cultures and Class” article, the authors make an interesting point that youth leisure and youth consumption go hand in hand. I agree with this completely. The more free time a person has, the more time they have to go shopping, discover new music, and feed into the new trends and styles of the time. Youth today I feel have more free time and have access to more money and have different financial responsibilities than any other previous generation. Therefore, I am expecting to learn about a really dynamic music scene in Newcastle. This scene IS a subculture with its own attitudes, values, beliefs, dress code, language and rules. We need to focus on the audiences AS WELL as the musicians. It is important to evaluate both in order to sufficiently critique and analyse this music scene.

Reference:

Clarke, John, Stuart Hall, Tony Jefferson, and Brian Roberts. 1975. “Subcultures, Cultures, and Class.” In The Subculture Reader. Ken Gelder and Sarah Thornton (eds.). New York: Routledge. p. 100-11.

This entry by user: jocelynn16

an hour with my radio 105.3

I have set myself up with half a block of chocolate, cookies, water, radio on and lap top at hand (it sounds like im preparing for an hour of pain!). My plan is to listen, be open minded and to challenge my thinking about what is being played on Newcastle’s radio station NXFM (105.3).

2:58PM – Lucky I tune in early to catch the last minute of Silverchairs latest single. This is a great sign that the local radio station is still supporting Newcastle’s most successful band.

3PM – News. Only national stories.

3:11PM – So far have had three songs (Dragon with ‘rain’(great song from the 80’s),  Pete Murry with ‘you pick me up’ and The Offspring with ‘come out and play’(great song from the 90’s) and a comedy skit which wasn’t all that funny but not horrible. The first two songs played from an Aussie and New Zealander band which is important to me. I like to listen to local produce.

This was followed by a competition – ‘win a trip to the big brother house’ Ads – 5 minutes worth – annoying. Gloria Jeans – commercial, Better electrical – local, Health – contraception in men – local surgery , Jonahs on the beach – restaurant.

3:20PM – Songs played – Face to Face ‘don’t change’ AND  Powderfinger ‘who really cares’ (again, this song from an Australian band, two thumbs up!)

Local beach watch – surf conditions, weather, waves and tomorrows predictions.

3:30PM – Local news and weather.

 Songs played – Foo Fighters ‘learn to fly’ (woo!), Maroon 5 ‘makes me wonder’ (wishing this band did not turn commercial – loved their earlier stuff), Hoodoo Gurus ‘whats my scene’ (I LOVE THIS SONG, and im a massive supporter of NRL which uses this as their signature song– got me loving it).

[SO, AT THE MOMENT I AM ACTUALLY ENJOYING WHAT I AM LISTENING TO, THERE HAS NOT BEEN AS MANY ADS AS I THOUGHT THERE WOULD BE AND THE MUSIC HAS BEEN TASTEFUL – DIGGING THE COMMITMENT TO AUSTRALIAN BANDS]

3:42PM – Colbie Caillat ‘Bubbly’ (this is the sort of music im not so much into to – but its not unbearable)

Promotion of live music in Newcastle – Ads – Eagles plumbing plus – local business, Oportos – restaurant – commercial, Nola – clairvoent, Health – Mens Contraception. Local traffic update.

3:50PM – Paolo Nutini ‘new shoes’ (have not heard this song before, didn’t mind it), The Wallflowers ‘one headlight’ (I think this is a classic song, im not so sure how I know it but it just seems to be the song everyone knows and loves).

3:57PM – advertising for 2008 superboat series, more ads – pie ad – bakers cottage, holiday coast credit union, health – mens contraceptive, carpet selections – local business.

Local traffic upates

4PM NEWS!

******************************************************************************************************

ok so it wasnt as bad as i thought it would be lol 

i enjoyed the songs, i loved the fact that they played australian bands (silverchair, powderfinger, pete murry and the hoodoo gurus). the thing i hate most about commercial radio is the ads, it is so annoying. it really does irritate me. 

after that, i might actually think about tuning 105.3 into my car stereo – no promises though! 

 

www.newfm.com.au/

CLOSED MINDED AHHHHH

ok, so i have been thinking about some posts & comments i have published. 

i have an obvious hate for commercialised radio and music.

i am going to take it upon myself to listen to NEW FM this afternoon for an hour between 3pm and 4pm to see if it is really all that bad. this is a local Newcastle station so i hope they will be true to the local spirit (what ever that is in the commercial world). 

 

i am making no promises – but am doing this to show i have an open mind and am open to be persuaded otherwise. 

this will be a challenge for me as i dont think i have listened to commercial radio since i was 12 years old. 

stay posted for my thoughts! wish me luck! 

music needing criticism

After reading Pop Music and the Press (edited by Steve Jones), I have started thinking about the need for music to be critiqued. It seems music that is deemed ‘popular’ (by music charts or sales) happen in waves of similar genres. Im thinking along the lines of commercial pop music which seems to always sound the same to me (no offence to anyone to likes Brittany Spears). Editor Steve Jones describes that during the 1950’s, critics had refocused their attack and started picking apart art, motion pictures and music, unintentionally ‘blasting a hole through the post-war social hardening’. As there is a never ending praise for music and art, not much has ever been published about being critical on the subject. Other then the famous Rolling Stones magazines where one can find music essays and popular music criticism – publications cash in on what’s ‘in’ and deemed ‘the popular sensation’.

Critiquing music genres might see the consumers of genres in search of more. For me, the pop music scene is in need of makeover and could do with some serious advice. Manufactured artists who are feeding young fans an ear load of rubbish is what I would want to see changed – challenging the stereotypes that are being forced onto the youth. Agreeing to Jones himself – doing this, takes time and money – going against the consumers preferences is always the hard road and then, who is actually going to read it? It’s a tough game for scholars who would prefer to rip apart the latest Paris Hilton hit (which is dubbed over, synthesized and better off in the trash) but will end up with cash in their pocket for praising the latest manufactured pop star. Critiquing music can help uncover the unethical principles of some music genres and protect our society from the ear bashing commercialised music throws at us. 

 

reference:

Steve Jones – Popular music, media and the written word.

http://www.temple.edu/tempress/chapters_1400/1511_ch1.pdf

Importance of Journalists

Art journalists are given the power to lend consideration for any form of art, music or cultural product. This viewpoint is created by them and projected to society. Journalists can cause a consumer to form an impression about an artist even before that consumer experiences it for themselves. In Robert Dawson Scott’s article Bridging the cultural gap: How arts journalists decide what gets onto the arts and entertainment pages, he defines journalists that specialise in the arts as “the most important cultural mediators of all” (Scott, 47). They can give an artist or product a certain authority just by merely writing about them. Because of this, is why just by journalists granting importance to local artists, independent music and underrepresented musicians, they can create a place for them in our cultural realm and lend them authority. I am not saying that corporations such as MTV should recognise independent artists, or even that radio stations should feature them. I am considering the notion of just a journalistic coverage of these artists to highlight them and pull them out of the rest to shed some light on their art. “ Several studies have shown that it is the exposure of the item, rather than any judgment offered about it which is the crucial factor in the way it is subsequently taken up” (Scott, 47). So, the people who decide what is important in our cultural society are so crucial because in a sense, if it is not in the media, then it does not really exist. It exists to its small community of fans and artists but as a whole, it will not be remembered and therefore, does not officially exist. However, it is important to remember, “ these gatekeepers are themselves both consumers and producers” (Scott, 48). They must consume the material in order to write about it and grant it importance. Therefore, this comes down to how these independent artists and musicians will even fall into the eyeshot of these journalists and the media. It seems like a roundabout dilemma but little by little, I believe it is possible. Independent music scenes do have an advantage in that they are off the radar therefore, more special. So, if they are liked, then they will be more desired by the journalists to “discover” them. “Coverage must be linked to a cultural event- publication, release, opening- but it must in some way be off the diary, indicating special knowledge” (Scott, 48). It seems though, that new artists that are discovered are a part of a larger marketplace. Local niches such as Newcastle’s music scene does not deem a big enough market to be observed. Newcastle is lucky though, that it does have a reputation for being highly artistic and a place that breeds musical talent. “Somewhere among them will be the first signs of anther sub cultural break out. For while the mainstream media feed off other media further down the informational food chain, one of the features of contemporary cultural media coverage is the diversity of publications and their reasons for existence, from the most antiestablishment fanzine to the most cynically manipulative marketing tool” (Scott, 52). There lies hope in that a journalist would want to take a risk and invest their time in exposing such a niche; but hope alone is not a very good solution.

-Jocelynn D. Yoerges

Reference:

Scott, Robert Dawson (1999) Bridging the cultural gap: How arts journalists decide what gets onto the arts and entertainment pages Critical Quarterly Volume 41 Issue 1 Page 46-55, April 1999

Changing my position slightly on coverage of mis-represented music scenes

I argued earlier that accounting for and representing all parts of the music culture is not always a good thing because the media monster has a way of destroying authenticity and artists get the wrap of selling out to their fans. However, after reading the article The Folklore of Industrial Society: Popular Culture and its Audiences by Lawrence W. Levine, I realised that later on in history, generations to follow us will only remember what was recorded. The unofficial history of our music scenes and local music scenes will not have been covered and therefore, will be lost with time. Levine stated that, “It is important to remember that not all mass culture was popular…This distinction is crucial: not everything mass produced for the American people was popular, even if a substantial percentage of what was popular by the 1930s was mass produced” (Levine, 1373). Just because a local artist was not mass-produced does not mean that it was not a part of our popular culture. Just because an artist is independent and not well known does not mean that they are not a significant part of our cultural history. Every part of culture, whether it be unknown or well known, is important in shaping the attitudes and beliefs of our society and culture as a whole. Without each part, our history and culture would be drastically different. Therefore, I would like to alter my argument in the previous post that it is important to represent these non-mainstream artists and musicians. When commenting on the medium of radio, Levine said that, “Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno asserted in the 1940s, ‘turns all participants into listeners and authoritatively subjects them to broadcast programs which are all exactly the same’” (Levine, 1371). It would not only broaden the exposure of musical artists everywhere to give attention to independent and local artists but would also enrich the listeners with a plethora of music rather than everything sounding exactly alike.
Popular culture is not understood fully because of the way that it is portrayed through the media and how heavily the values of popular culture are ingrained in our society—it is not taken seriously. “Popular culture is seen as the antithesis for folk culture: not as emanating from within the community but created—often artificially by people with pecuniary or ideological motives—for the community, or rather for the masses who no longer had an organic community capable of producing culture” (Levine, 1370). This artificial creation of a culture needs to change. There are significant gaps in coverage of the music scenes in Newcastle and all over the world; so if we were to fill these gaps, we could produce a completely different culture that represents not only the producers and artists but also feeds the consumers new material and allows them to work with new ideology about what popular culture embodies and reflects.

-Jocelynn D. Yoerges

Reference:

Levine, Lawrence W. The Folklore of Industrial Society: Popular Culture andIts Audeinces. The American Historical review, Vol. 97 No. 5, (Dec., 1992), pp. 1369-1399. American Historical Association. Retrieved on 21/05/2008 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2165941

Keeping it Real.

There is so much music out there so there are obvious gaps in journalistic coverage of music along with under represented artists and musicians in the media. I consider myself to have a very eclectic music taste. I admit, that I do indulge in Britney Spears ever now and then but I also enjoy many bands and artists that aren’t written about and some that a lot of people don’t even know about. I actually like the feeling of being a fan of a great band that is not caught up in the media. I feel as though I am a “true fan” because I became a fan before they became really big. There is a more intimate relationship between an independent band and their fans as opposed to being a fan of huge celebrities that have no relationship with their fans on a personal level whatsoever. Obviously every artist wants to make it big but to some fans that equals selling out. When a band is unknown to the mainstream media, they seem more authentic and genuine. If one of my favorite bands, The Sounds for example, were to be in the top 40 and on MTV and written about in OK! Magazine, they would just fall into the category of “popular” music with Britney Spears and the rest that are absorbed and taken over by the media monster. There is a genuine quality of being a fan of an unknown artist. Therefore, to me, being underrepresented in the media is not always a bad thing.
David Grazian’s article “The Symbolic Economy of Authenticity in the Chicago Blues Scene” and Kembrew McLeod’s article “In Search of Authenticity” both dealt with the issue of genuineness, focusing on different musical genres and cultures. Both spoke of how cultures, like blues and hip-hop, are in danger of assimilation by a larger mainstream culture. McLeod began by explaining the origin of Chicago Blue’s music in the 1960s and the cultural qualities of the niche based entertainment districts of Chicago. These entertainment zones “consist of businesses that offer similar kinds of social and aesthetic experiences, local entrepreneurs transform urban neighborhoods into nocturnal playgrounds ripe for specific kinds of cultural consumption” (Grazian, 2). Authenticity is a term that is seen differently through the eyes of the consumer versus through the eyes of the artist. The consumer imagines through stereotypes and symbols of what authenticity should be. The artists however, believe that audiences today know nothing about the blues and that the original culture and “old school” artists are what blues authenticity is really about. The audiences today at Chicago blues clubs not only demand to hear the same songs over and over but they also “expect that they will be played by black musicians as authenticity in the Chicago blues scene is almost always evaluated in accordance with coarse racial stereotypes of black culture” (Grazian, 5). It seems to me that the Chicago blues scene has turned into a touristy “Disney-land” for blues. This to me creates a loss of authenticity by adding all of the commercialism and fluff. This theory doesn’t just apply to the Chicago Blue’s scene. It can pretty much apply to any music scene and in our case, to Newcastle’s music scene.
Newcastle’s music scene is genuine in this way that the artists are authentic and that there is no commercialization of the artists, venues, or genres. McLeod articulates that culture and authenticity go hand in hand—“there are ‘patterns of symbolic action and meaning’ that are deeply felt, commonly intelligible and widely accessible” (McLeod, 2) to similar genres in all communities. Although cultures vary from place to place, authenticity remains a common concept of popular music everywhere. .
Authenticity is definitely important when looking at a local music scene such as in Newcastle. To me, authenticity is a rich and meaningful feeling. To be authentic is so very important in the music industry. I believe that the true and most talented artists are typically authentic as well. Culture plays a large role in determining authenticity and to be in touch with the culture and community an artist belongs to, deems authenticity. With a local music scene, there is a better chance for musicians to become in touch with their surroundings because they can connect with fans and the media on a smaller scale.
Individualism is a key component to music and artists and is essential to not succumb to selling out or going commercial. McLeod discovered that if the music represents the artists’ own life and world, then they are authentic. “That according to many people is a fundamental component in portraying oneself as authentic” (McLeod, 7). So, by not conforming to the commercialism, by staying true to oneself, with culture as a huge influence and most importantly, by being an individual, one can remain authentic. There is a need to expose the local music scene in Newcastle journalistically but at the same time we need to preserve it and not comercialise the scene. The question remains: how are we going to solve the problem of the major gaps in popular music coverage yet maintain an artists authenticity at the same time?

References:

David Grazian. 2004. “The Symbolic Economy of Authenticity in the Chicago Blues Scene.” Music Scenes: Local, Translocal, Virtual. Eds. Andy Bennett and Richard A. Peterson. Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University Press, pp. 31-47.

McLeod, Kembrew. 1999. “Authenticity within Hip Hop and Other Cultures Threatened with Assimilation.” Journal of Communication 49 (4): 134-50.

Media Literacy

Roy Shuker’s 2001 book Understanding Popular Music contains a chapter called “What’s Goin’ On?” that, although loooong, is quite an interesting read. He investigates and questions numerous aspects of popular culture, including its nature and production; ways and means of consumption; social reception; the different ways of studying popular culture and the value in this activity. After a detailed intro, he then goes on to discuss these aspects in terms of popular music.

An interesting point that I came across early in the chapter was the statement that “academic analysis of popular music and its associated manifestations was initially slow to develop” (p.1). He says that television, and not popular music, was the main focus of analysis from the growing field of media studies during the 1970’s and 80’s. This is understandable insofar that television, at that time would still have been a young, new and exciting medium that people wanted to know more about. On the other hand, I find it fairly amazing to think that music, in its many forms, has been around for centuries, yet only began attracting critical thought and attention during the 1990’s, when Shuker observes there was “a veritable flood of material” (p.1) to add to the small body of music literature that began to be compiled by theorists such as Simon Frith, Richard Middleton, Lawrence Grossberg and George Lipsitz, among others; a far cry, it would seem, from the many commentators of the 1950’s who considered most popular music “mindless fodder” (p.18). I find it fascinating to think that the value and function of music in our lives did not begin to be investigated until relatively recently. After reading that little bit of information I am a little less surprised that we are looking into gaps in music journalism – it could be suggested that there is quite a history to catch up on!

Another point of Shuker’s that I found to be valid was his statement that “neither texts nor their consumers exist in isolation” (p.5); that the significance of either of these aspects is heavily tied to the other. I think this is a big part of the reason why Newcastle has such a vibrant and varying music scene. The city and its surrounding areas encompass so many different demographics, from young families with children to professionals and blue-collar workers to uni students open to innumerable new tastes and experiences as part of discovering their identity. There is such a wide range of people in Newcastle – each demographic (and each individual person, obviously) has differing tastes and wants different things from music, and I think this is the reason why Newcastle has such a wide-ranging and eclectic music scene.  This idea ties in nicely with the following section of the chapter, which discusses different ways of defining popular music, and in particular, Middleton’s suggestion that “all music is popular: popular with someone” (cited in Shuker, p.5).

Defining popular music is difficult at the best of times, and is no easier when it comes to Newcastle’s musc scene – Shuker says that

“Many commentators argue that it is commercialisation that is the key to understanding popular music … this approach places the emphasis on the ‘popular’, arguing that such appeal can be quantified through charts, radio airplay and so forth. In such definitions, certain genres are identified as being ‘popular music’ while others are excluded” (p.6).

This passage is true to a certain extent, but I also think it can be argued against in terms of Newcastle’s music scene, which includes many artists and bands that have not appeared on the charts and have received very little, if any all, radio airplay. As I’ve mentioned, Newcastle’s diverse populace makes the city a favoured place for up-and-coming artists to showcase their music in the early stages of their journey to chart domination and having their latest single played approximately 6874598143 a day by repetitive radio stations – if, indeed, commercial success is their goal in the first place.

Shuker’s chapter also includes a section titled “Critical media literacy” which is concerned with the process of interpreting popular media and enabling people to “decode, encode and evaluate the symbol systems that dominate their world” (Ontario Ministry of Education, cited in Shuker, p.9).

Shuker suggests that media literacy is important for two reasons inherent in everyday life – the “saturation” (p.9) of popular media in society and its high level of consumption, particularly among young people; and the idea that such media works as “consciousness industries” (p.9) as a result of its pervasiveness throughout society, playing a part in forming our values and perceptions and reinforcing or diminishing these. He is critical of school programs that he says focus too heavily on “high” culture (p.11) and harbour the assumptions that the “only ‘culture’ worth transmitting is that of a national and classless ‘high’ culture of equal relevance to all pupils” (p.11) that quite often results in students being forced to examine cultural texts that holds no meaning for them, while ignoring the more mainstream and contemporary shows and music that are likely to be playing a part in shaping their identities. As a student I can safely say that uni courses such as this one, in which we talk about and examine music as we utilise it today, holds much more value and enjoyment than a high school english class where we have to attempt to understand and deconstruct books that I will be unlikely to ever lay eyes on again.

Shuker also talks about the ideology of popular culture and its role in forming and reinforcing dominant values. Every text, he says, contains a “preferred reading” (p.14) – a dominant message set within already-accepted societal beliefs and practices. While he admits that many consumers ‘buy into’ (p.14) such readings, it is important to remember that this is certainly not true for the entire audience. Specifically, subordinate and subcultural groups often interpret the text in their own way, thereby providing resistance and subversion toward the dominant ways of thinking. This is further testament to the value of having such a wide range of music to absorb in Newcastle. Different artists and genres possess different values and ways of thinking about the world, and fans of the Newcastle scene are able to experience, consider and take on board as many of these as they want. The Newcastle scene has always struck me as a stage that promotes free speech and thinking outside the box, and I think Newcastle music fans are lucky to have the opportunity to experience such diversity. And as Shuker correctly points out, any engagement with a song, artist or band is heightened and influenced by other factors unique to a certain time and place, including the historical context of the text in terms of production and consumption as well as the nature of the respondents and the ways in which they negotiate their involvement in the text.

The above is a discussion of some, though certainly not all, of the points Shuker discusses in his chapter. Some of his other points are excellent, particularly his discussion of popular music in terms of structuralism, postmodernism and political economy, but they weren’t overly relevant to this topic and so weren’t included in this discussion.

Reference:

Shuker, R. (2001). “‘What’s Goin’ On?’ Popular Culture, Popular Music and Media Literacy” in Shuker, R. (ed) Understanding Popular Music. London & New York: Routledge. 2nd Edition, pp.1-24.