Is DRM the best way to save the music industry?

In the music industry the term piracy is certainly nothing new. It can be traced as far back to the 1960s with the invention of the compact cassette, which became the first recordable audio device which posed a threat to the profitability of the music industry. Throughout the years there have been many attempts to try and stop this 'file-sharing' which exists, which some may say are economically damaging the music industry. Digital rights management focuses on strengthening the property aspect of music, and making file-sharing less attractive. This includes teaching youngsters, either in the classroom or in the courtroom, that downloading is stealing.Many online music stores employ DRM to restrict the usage of music purchased and downloaded online. i-tunes and Napster employ DRM in order to control the amount of music downloaded, however this is not the best way to save the music industry. Although DRM does have its advantages and it makes illegal downloading harder, it does not put an end to the problem which is facing the music industry. There are many organisations and individuals who oppose DRM, stating that it has little to do with piracy; as most pirates are not individuals with a computer, but organizations with access to a media duplicating plant and employing skilled staff; DRM's "sole purpose is to maximize revenues by minimizing your rights so that they can sell them back to you. No matter how hard DRM tries to restrict the amount of illegal downloading, it is not going to be able to save the music industry. Although it is an economic problem, it is also a cultural problem. Cd's are too expensive, marketing is deceptive, musicians make enough money already and downloaded music is free promotion for record companies; these are all some of the reasons why downloading illegally takes place. By teaching youngsters in classrooms or in courtrooms that downloading is stealing is not going to make a great difference to the music industry as they would ask themselves, if it is stealing then why is it available to us and so easy to carry out?

Can popular music ever really be unplugged?

This very much depends what people consider to be popular music. It is a matter of personal choice. What l might consider to be popular music might not be for someone else, and vice-versa. When attempting to come up with an answer there is certainly no right or wrong conclusion. However we must also ask ourselves when answering a question like this; whether or not popular music can ever really be unplugged?; what it technology? In general, "technology" is the relationship that society has with its tools and crafts, and to what extent society can control its environment; "The practical application of knowledge especially in a particular area" and "a capability given by the practical application of knowledge".
The accessibility of art and artistic expression in modern society are now widely available to all segments of society due to technological advances. In addition, technology creates a new aspect of art in popular culture, pop music, and pop art. When talking about popular music we need technology to create sound. Amplifiers, microphones etc are an integral part of music. Without these technologies alot of the music we hear today would not be the same. eg. in rock music the electric guitar is needed, without it it wouldn't be rock music, so in this case no popular music cant be unplugged. If an artist is putting on a show in Wembly for example, all these technologies are needed in order to produce the best possible performance. Some people would say that you don't need amplifieres or a microphone for the artist to be heard, but then people who are standing at the very back wont get the same experience as those at the front. I personally think its impossible for popular music to be unplugged, although l do realise that in different cultures and in different places in the world there is music which is considered popular to them which is just acoustic eg. in tribal music they use drums and other instruments usually man made by them and yes, in this case it would be totally unplugged.

What is world music, and why does it exist?

The term World music became current in the 1980s as a marketing/ classificatory device in the media and music industry.World music is Israeli reggae, it's rock and roll from the Sahara and flamenco with a hip-hop breakbeat; it's cowboy music from Venezuela and Persian classical music from L.A. It's music that transcends borders.
In our interconnected world a great song can come out of anywhere: crossing oceans and continents, and leveling barriers of race, religion, nationality, class and even language. This is the essence of what's become known as world music: it's the soundtrack of globalization, and the sound of the world we live in today.
Music transcends categories, too, and there's no fixed definition for world music. It's a slippery term - as changeable and varied as the music it attempts to describe. To some, world music is field recordings and ethnographic music, for others it's simply pop music from somewhere else. Many consider world music a marketing concept and a catchall for the various international sounds that aren't easily categorized; while many more consider it an alternative to the mainstream. All of these definitions are correct: World music contains multitudes.
When discussing world music we have to ask ourselves how are these categories established. upon what terms; how they are maintained; to whose advantage, or disadvantage? If asking yourself why does this definition exist, it is basically there to label and categorize a genre and large range of music which is not part of modern mainstream western commercial popular music or classical music traditions, and which originate outside the cultural sphere of western Europe and the English-speaking nations. The term world music offers a rich field of debate for popular music studies.

Is popular music art?

Before we can answer this we have to ask ourselves what is art? Art in the broadest terms is used to describe a particular type of production generated by human beings. What we can say is that the impetus for art is no doubt creativity. A more specific definition would state that art is that which is made with the intention of stimulating the human senses as well as the human mind or spirit. When we talk about music, it is often described as an art form that involves organised sounds and silence. It is expressed in terms of pitch (melody & harmony), rhythm (tempo & meter) and the quality of sound (timbre, dynamics etc). So from this perspective l guess you could say that yes music, whether it is popular music or not, by definition can be considered art, unlike Adorno who puts a production line thesis on popular music.
To a certain extent l agree that popular music can be considered art, as someone has creatively composed and sang that music, however it is hard to know where to draw the line. Do you only say that music genres like classical or art music can be considered art because western Europeans became very interested in the in the ancient classical style, which was imitated by many artists, sculptors and architects, and popular music can not be considered art because it is only seen as music which has been a top seller. In both occasions somebody has made that music and whether or not it has been a success or not, creativity has put in to it, and at times talent!