Pop Music Research Assignment: Hospitality Business Industry

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POP MUSIC
Introduction
Music has been in existence since the first man set foot on earth. Through music, the world has managed to fight and protest wars and oppressive laws, and also to enjoy and entertain. Music gave people a voice thus making it easier for people to express their feelings towards certain people, governments, and other institutions. Over the years, however, music has changed, and while its functions remain the same, certain aspects of it have indeed changed. For example, music production has changed as well as the portability of music which has indeed undergone tremendous change, especially in the last two decades. With the help of new technological innovations, anyone can be a musician and with the help of software components produce and post the final product online for review. Life has become increasingly easy over the years, and as more innovative minds get to work, it is impossible to predict where or what the future of music is.
Plato said that “Music is a moral law. It gives souls to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” The statement above is indeed true, and the influence that pop or popular music has had in the world is a testament to that. Pop music has had tremendous reception all over the world and people, especially young people form the largest portion of its listenership. People have used it to express their feelings towards certain doctrines, to protest oppressive laws, while others listen and produce it for fun and entertainment. All over the world, music is described as a universal language that connects people from all walks of life, and on numerous occasions, pop music has lived up to the above description. It has connected people, young and old globally, it has started and sought support for some historical movements which have brought change to the world. Popular music is indeed a wave that brings people to tears on all sides albeit for different reasons. Lives have been changed, the course of history altered for both individual communities and the world.
Historical Background
Pop music is quite old, and while some people firmly associate its inception to the 60s, evidence suggests that it began a long time ago. Initially, popular music was predominantly done by white musicians who often used their platform to ridicule the lives of black people, their poverty as well as their dialect. This was mainly common in the 19th century when slavery and racism were still controversial issues, and the different factions (the ones for and against) went back and forth over whether the African American should be accorded equal rights as their white counterparts. Some of the famous musicians of this era include Stephen Collins Foster and Charles K. Harris who are respectively known for songs such as “Camptown Races” and “After the Ball.”
The 20th century was different, and the African Americans began to get involved and to influence the trajectory of pop music. The propagation of radio networks in the US mainly helped to ensure that people all over the country get to hear and identify with their artists. Jazz revolutionized the world of pop, and more and...