Week 11: Does the Music Industry create the Market?

On one hand, music labels are now part of the larger global media corporation; large labels such as Sony or Universal own and create successful television and film productions. It could be suggested that due to this corporations use artists on their own labels to appear and market in their own productions. Therefore this idea of cross promotion illustrates a massive integration of the whole process and illustrates that the music industry certainly does create the market through these means.
Likewise, the music industry controls the consumer by trying to make a song successful by overplaying it on the radio or television music stations through to creating songs using a formulated and standardised method.
On the other hand, according to ibid, ‘…the audience focused approach emphasises the resistance of individuals and groups to the ideological dominance of the culture industries and of mainstream culture in general.’ Therefore, the audience makes up their own mind on what musically they are attracted to, although the music industry satisfies this need for music they do not have all the control on the market as every individual is different and not every song is a hit even though they are heavily marketed.
In conclusion, it is not realistic to suggest that popular music exists unmediated by the music industry, although the audience depends on the music industry for access to the music, from the purchase of records and concert tickets, it is the control of the music industry and the consumer that equally create the market. The music industry controls the market through promotion and distribution but it is the consumer who has the most important role to play; the romance comes from the audience themselves.