Money and Media: Radio; Television; Film Representations

Purists of soul and country music often lament the state of contemporary music. They complain that the quality of the music is now so far from the essential aspects, accusing the artists of selling out to such an extent that the music no longer has the integrity that made it special and a uniquely authentic manifestation of an American cultural identity. The fact that acts like Taylor Swift and Lady Antebellum, Janelle Monae and Usher open for major shows like the Grammy Awards and the American Music Awards and reach the precious prime-time viewership signifies the distance of the journey that music has taken from the folk roots. Christmas specials now move beyond the typical quasi-jazzy Michael Buble shows to include country Christmas shows hosted by artists like Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles. On every major television singing competition, a country star sits comfortably in a judge’s seat: Blake Shelton on The Voice, Keith Urban on American Idol, and Brad Paisley on Rising Star. As rooted as soul and country music are in the folk heritage of the American South, the journey to mass audiences has necessitated a series of consistent compromises and creativity that has landed country and soul artists in the lucrative marketing bins of popular music. Explaining this process, Harper writes that “the ‘pop’ designation is not easy to decode.