'Pop' Music is the Devil

'Pop' music is the devil, or at least another coat of red in hell. The music that floods the airwaves of planet Earth is created for two purposes, one secondary to the other, but no less appalling. The main reason for creating the music that appears on the radio is to make money. Major record labels, much like corporations, invest in products to turn a profit. These products are called "Artists." These "artists" are means through which the record companies earn their money. With this understanding it becomes clear that talent is not what the record companies are looking to invest in, but rather appeal.

The "Artists" are selected, or created, based on their ability to appeal to as many consumers as possible. In the major cases of pop music, the "Artists" aren't even the ones responsible for the music. There are writers who create the lyrics, musicians who write the melodies, and producers creating the sound and putting it all together. The "Artist's" job is to sell the music through an image or style, which almost always varies from record to record. These images include themes such as sex, violence, youth, machismo, etc. etc. basically anything that will attract attention from the competition. For each target consumer the image appeal is different based on gender, age, race, and lifestyle. Essentially, listening to the radio is really just like listening to colorful, elaborate ads for different corporate record labels or perusing the magazine rack in your local drug store. Now, there are true artists our there which make it on the radio to whom this critique does not apply, but speaking in general, the most popular radio stations, above all else, are playing music that sells. Even the "classics" of the past are not played to resurrect a faded spirit of their meaning, but rather to exploit a sensation of nostalgia or some empty concept of what it is to listen to "the classic tunes."