Music Industry And Its Influence On Modern Society

In the twenty-first century, we have an abundant variety of music genres, old and new. Music has a versatile role in modern society. Music serves just as many purposes as it possesses in genres. For listeners, music is not simply an escape or form of entertainment; it is a source of inspiration and self-expression. Sometimes, this can be problematic and lead to false identities and music miscegenation. The music industry has had a powerful influence on what listeners consume. In this process, traditional black music genres have crossed over to the mainstream. This has been problematic in that it gives listeners the sense that the music industry is fully integrated. In reality, the white dominated music industry and labels are still using†¦show more content†¦This forged an identity of cultural togetherness as time progressed, but in reality, this was just a new form of cultural appropriation and subjugation. Despite the musical politics in regards to control, black expressio n has voiced itself in the past century. The innovations of jazz and gospel music paved the way for soul, funk, disco, and rhythm blues and then expanded that pathway for rap and hip-hop in the later half of the century. Various innovations such as 12 bar blues and beat matching can be attributed to African-American culture. One genre of music that emerged from African-American roots was disco. Although disco expanded and became popularized in mainstream culture, disco began as an expression of black and Latino power. Disco possesses elements of Afro-Cuban salsa as well as Jamaican dub, reggae, and ska. Disco served as a versatile cultural tool for not only ethnic minorities but also gay rights activism, prior to its adoption by white audiences and artists. There was backlash by white audiences and rock musicians towards black disco artist heard on the radio and this lead to the coined phrase, â€Å"disco sucks.† Disco went on to die by the eve of the eighties, but element s of groove and fast paced beats are still prevalent in today’s popular music. Many of the RB and rock artists who conformed to disco during its popularity returned to their authentic identity