Simon Frith on Pop Music Evolution

Pop music is a performance of emotions, designed to be accessible to everyone and generated for profit, not artistic expression.

Simon Frith's view on pop music is that it's a performance of emotion that listeners can participate in, produced for profit rather than artistic merit, designed to be accessible to everyone, and relies on popular clichés like love, loss, and jealousy.

The introduction of the electric microphone in the 1930s changed pop music by allowing for softer voices and new singing techniques, creating expressive intimacy for listeners.

The shift away from big bands in the late 1930s and 1940s focused attention on vocal talent, leading to a preference for simpler, more direct emotional songs.

The rise of television in the 1950s created a teenage market, leading to a distinct teenage pop sound and the emergence of teen idols, often presented as ideal 'boy next door' figures.

The blending of African American musical conventions with new music styles like rock and roll and doo-wop became commonplace in the 1950s.

The transition from solo singers to pop groups in the 1950s allowed for storytelling through multiple voices, effectively conveying teenage emotions.

The rise of power ballads and soul divas in the 1970s marked a shift in pop music.

Soul divas embodied female pop singing that embraced vulnerability and emotional expression in the 1970s.

Electric amplification played a crucial role in the eroticism of the voice and the development of new singing styles, particularly in rock music.

Loud speakers made possible larger crowds and public venues, changing the scale of music performances.

Sound recording allowed for perfect performances, capturing and replicating music with precision.

Multitrack recording facilitated overdubbing, enhancing the singer's voice and allowing for creative layering of sounds.

Home studio technology empowered young musicians to create demo tapes, enabling them to produce and share their music more easily.

Electric guitars became a central feature of pop music, shaping its sound and identity.

Digital samplers simplified production and allowed for the easy compilation of diverse sounds, contributing to the evolving soundscape of pop music.

The music industry creates a standardized, commercially driven pop music audience through mass-produced recordings, aiming to maximize profits by limiting costs associated with innovation.

Record companies prioritize profit by repeating successful formulas, leading to similar sounds across recordings, often at the cost of artistic expression.

Although there is repetition in music, it's not always due to intentional standardization, as styles change rapidly in pop music, leading to unpredictable audience participation.

Not all CDs and records generate profits for production companies, especially in pop music where styles change rapidly and success is hard to predict.

Audience participation in pop music is unpredictable and cannot be fully controlled by the music industry.