Week 10 - Mix Mag Magazine Analysis

Mix Mag is a magazine that focuses on the different dance music that features around the world. This is demonstrated instantly by the front cover being smothered in dance acts. The magazine itself is very specific in it’s audience and is written in a way that will connect with their target audience. In this case, young party animals and raver’s. Theodore Peterson believes that the most important factor of the rise of modern day magazine was the growth of advertising and in this magazine there are large amounts of adverts promoting different dance acts on the scene. Seeing as this magazine is written for a specific target audience, the adverts all revolve around the theme of dance, promoting renowned events that are known across Europe like Gatecrasher and Cremefields. This magazine seems to be written for men but this does not mean that women will not find the magazine interesting and readable. This magazine will never compete with magazines like NME because it is so specialised in one genre but for the subscribers, the magazine puts them in the know and informs them of what is happening on the dance circuit and due to this, the magazine is extremely good in what it does!

Week 9 - Are blackness and whiteness useful concepts in the study of popular music?

It is common fact that different types of music are followed predominantly by different ethnicities. Conventionally, colour does have an impact on different types of music but these conventions of different genres of music are constantly being challenged. The dominance of acts like Eminem and Westwood on the rap scene is proof on it’s own that although rap is mainly followed by black people, there is always room for other races to produce their music in the same genre. Alternatively, like rap, indie music has a very large white following and it is rare to see black acts and when performers like Kele Okereke (lead singer of Bloc Party) enter the frey, the same concepts arise but the same outcome is achieved… successful music. Different types of music will always be associated with different cultures but the fact that the colour of skin can be a factor in making an act stand out in a certain field can only be a good thing for the music industry!

Week 8 - Are subcultures a sign of revolt or an expression of style?

In modern day culture, different approaches are taken when growing up in teenage life. The different subcultures that are present this very day can be seen as expressions of style but I believe that there is more to these images than just ‘style’. I believe the upbringing of a child is pivotal in how a teenager develops. Another huge factor is the groups in which certain children mingle with during education. Certain cultures like the ‘chav’ or the ‘goth’ for example, circle in certain crowds in order to stand out and revolt against laws. All these subcultures have different ways of revolting. Whether it be taking drugs, drinking or vandalizing, all are in it to do wrong for the thrill. I think that being part of a subculture is always going to have different varieties of revolt but every subculture has a different style. I believe the style that every subculture obtains is merely a way of portraying what one is like and will come hand in hand with the morals and beliefs that a specific culture possesses. Revolt and style will always be linked together whatever culture you look at!

Week 7 -Can popular music be a genuine force for political change?

It is fairly clear that music has brought light upon many aspects of life that many people around the world were not aware of. The obvious methods that have been very successful are the likes of Band Aid and live Live 8, which both raise huge awareness for the third world. Although these worldwide events make a huge sum of money for starving Africans, the fact remains that the politics remain the same and the only outcome of the popular music is the money produced and the awareness raised. Another example of music helping out the needy is when U2 and Greenday released the Saints are Coming in a bid to raise money for the victims of the Hurricane Katrina incident. The fact of the matter is, music is a force in raising awareness of certain aspects of the modern day world but it will never affect politics in a major way. It will only change the opinions of the public!