Towards a Holistic Interpretation of Musical Genre Analysis Thesis
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1 JYVÄSKYLÄ STUDIES IN HUMANITIES Chris Kemp Towards a Holistic Interpretation of Musical Genre Analysis JYVÄSKYLÄN YLIOPISTO 1 2 JYVÄSKYLÄ STUDIES IN HUMANITIES Chris Kemp Towards a Holistic Interpretation of Musical Genre Analysis Academic dissertation to be publicly discussed, by permission of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Jyväskylä, in Auditorium S212, on June 10, 2004 at 12 o’clock noon. 2 3 Towards a Holistic Interpretation of Musical Genre Analysis JYVÄSKYLÄ STUDIES IN HUMANITIES 3 4 Chris Kemp Towards a Holistic Interpretation of Musical Genre Analysis Academic dissertation to be publicly discussed, by permission of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Jyväskylä, in Auditorium S212, on June 10, 2004 at 12 o’clock noon. 4 5 ABSTRACT Kemp, Chris Towards a holistic interpretation of musical genre analysis Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä, 2004 ? (Jyväskylä Studies in Humanities ISSN ISBN Diss In the past, exploration of music has focused on analysis by formalists, refferentialists and through social, semiotic and anthropological viewpoints including Schenkerian-Yeston (1977), Semiotic-Eco (1977), and Motivic-Ruwet (1987). Although each has its merits in the formal analysis of music, few explore genre identification. In musical genre studies the exploration of musical, paramusical (extramusical) and perceptual elements are essential to facilitate a full understanding of the subject area. Johnson in Zorn supports such a perspective in his argument for a holistic approach to musical analysis (Zorn 2000:29). The multidisciplinary nature of music and the discourses embodied in its creation, development and dissemination utilise a range of signifiers for identification advocating the utilisation of a “hybrid” (Wickens 1999) methodology combining quantitative and qualitative analysis. This thesis focuses on the music industry through music managers, the media, the artist and the consumer. A successful holistic interpretation of music genre identification would make a substantial contribution to the work in this field. This holistic exploration is validated through qualitative interviews and focus groups supported by quantitative exploration focusing on the placing of musical episodes in specific categories. The main conclusions of the thesis relate to the key role that the media plays in music genre identification, the development of both organic and synthetic musical episodes and the way in which variables within the experimentation indicate both homogeneity and difference separating parent and sub genre identification. Keywords: genre, musical, paramusical, perceptual, media, management, homogeneity, difference, sub-genre, categorisation 5 6 Author’s address Chris Kemp Faculty of Leisure & Tourism Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College Queen Alexander Road High Wycombe Buckinghamshire HP13 5HP Supervisors Professor Petri Toiviainen Department of Music University of Jyväskylä P. O. Box 35 (M) FIN 40014 University of Jyväskylä FINLAND Eugenia Wickens Faculty of Leisure & Tourism Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College Queen Alexander Road High Wycombe Buckinghamshire HP13 5HP Reviewers Professor David Wray Musictech College 19 Exchange Street St Paul MN 5501 USA Professor Vesa Kurkula Department of Folk Music Sibelius Academy PO Box 86 FIN-00251 Helsinki FINLAND Opponent Professor David Wray Musictech College 19 Exchange Street St Paul MN 5501 USA 6 7 Contents Page Abstract i Table of Contents ii List of Tables xi List of Figures xii Acknowledgement xiii Glossary of Terms xiv Chapter 1 Problematisation and General Introduction 1 1.0 Introduction 1 1.1 Situating the Study 3 1.1.1 Aims 3 1.1.2 Definitions and Terms of Reference 4 1.1.2.1 Introduction to the Terms of Reference 5 1.1.2.2 Towards a Definition of Genre 5 1.1.2.3 The Origin of Contemporary Genre 13 Nomenclature: Setting the Context 1.1.2.4 Towards a Definition of ‘Popular 15 1.1.2.5 Taxonomies 24 1.1.2.6 The Pigeonholing of Artists and Musical Episodes 26 1.2 Theoretical Discourses: A Synoptic View 26 1.2.1 Genre Label Determinants and the Musical 26 Environment 1.2.2 Developmental Aspects and Difficulties in 29 Nomenclature 1.2.2.1 The Malleability of Boundaries 30 1.2.2.2 The Coining of Easily Assimiable and 30 Identifiable Names in Context 1.2.2.3 Names with More Than one Meaning 31 1.2.3 Towards the Development of a Structure for Genre 32 Analysis 1.2.4 Temporal, Historical and Contextual Determinants 35 1.3 A Fresh Perspective 38 1.3.1 Issues in Generic Determination and Definition. 38 1.3.1.1 Introduction to Issues in Genre Determination 38 and Definition 1.3.1.2 The Broader Categories 39 1.3.1.3 Musical Structure and Temporal Identification 39 7 8 1.3.1.4 Popular Music Analysis-the Detractors 40 1.3.1.5 A Spatial and International Perspective 41 1.3.1.6 Performance and Boundary Issues 41 1.3.1.7 Multi Label Categorisation 43 1.3.1.8 The Mushroom Effect 44 1.4 The Proposed Outcomes and Organisation of this Thesis 47 1.4.1 Proposed Outcomes 47 1.4.2 The Organisation of this Thesis 47 Chapter 2 Methodology: Approaches, Issues and 49 Problems and the Description of the Experimental Setting 2.0 Introduction 49 2.1 The Aims of the Study 49 2.2 General Challenges Associated with the Choice of Research 50 methods and paradigms 2.2.1 Introduction 50 2.2.2 The Historical Context 51 2.2.3 Temporal Anomalies in a Historical Context 51 2.2.4 Spatial Anomalies in a Historical Context 52 2.2.5 Aspects of Musical Performance Relevant to this 53 Study 2.3 The Methodological Process 53 2.3.1 The Research Focus 55 2.3.2 Context 55 2.3.2.1 Macro Social Organization 56 2.3.2.2 The Artist 57 2.3.2.3 The Audience 57 2.3.2.4 Musical and Paramusical Structure 58 2.4 Setting of the Context 59 2.4.1 Intermediate Social Organization 59 2.4.1.1 Work: 59 2.4.1.2 Non Work: 60 2.4.2 Activity and Identity 60 2.4.2.1 Social and Industrial Activity 60 2.4.2.2 Self Identity and the Individuals Social 61 Experience 2.5 The Paradigm Debate 62 2.6 The triangulation of methods 64 8 9 2.7 Using a Plurality of Methods 66 2.7.1 Introduction 66 2.7.2 The Procedure for Domain Creation 67 2.7.3 Description of the Qualitative Research 68 2.7.4 Description of the Quantitative Research 70 2.7.4.1 Identification of Quantitative Methods 70 2.7.4.2 Identification of Time Periods 70 2.7.4.3 Choice of Test Pieces 71 2.7.4.4 The Test Pieces 72 2.7.4.5 Non-Recognition Criteria 72 2.7.4.6 The Subjects 73 2.7.4.7 Objective and Subjective Values 73 2.8 Sampling Strategy 74 2.8.1 The Quantitative Sampling Techniques Utilised 74 in this Study 2.8.2 Problems Experienced in the Field 76 2.8.2.1 Interview Issues 76 2.8.2.2 Focus Group Issues 76 2.8.2.3 Test Piece Issues 77 2.8.2.4 Issues and Problems with Qualitative Approaches 78 2.9 Validity of Approaches 78 2.10 The Procedure for the Hand Coded Data and the 78 Computational Analysis 2.10.1 The Procedure for the Hand Coded Data 78 2.10.1.1 The Number of Variables Utilised 78 2.10.1.2 Ascertaining the Responses in the 79 Hand Coded Variables 2.10.1.3 The Hand Coded Variables Used 79 2.10.2 Procedure for Computational Analysis 80 2.11 The analysis of the data 81 Chapter 3 The Music and Media Industries, the Artist 83 and the Consumer and their Relationship to Music Genre 3.0 Terms of Reference and Introduction to the chapter 83 3.0.1Terms of Reference 83 3.0.2 Preamble 84 3.1 The Music Industry: Contextualisation and Media 84 Integration 3.1.1 The Basic Premise Behind the Management of Music 84 9 10 3.1.2 The Birth and Development of the Cultural 85 Industries 3.1.3 The Music Industry and its Link to Genre 90 3.1.3.1 Semiotics and the Industry 90 3.1.3.2 Industrial Genre Perceptions 91 3.1.3.3 The Hypodermic and Gatekeeping Models 93 3.1.3.4 New Media and its Effect on Musical Episodes 96 3.1.3.5 The Exchange Process 97 3.1.4 Genre Tagging in the Music and Media Industries 98 3.2 Theoretical and Applied Perspectives on Music Genre 102 Manipulation 3.2.1 The Industry/Media and its Effect on Music Genre 102 3.2.2 The Artist’s Perspective on Musical Genre 107 Manipulation. 3.2.3 The aAudience/Consumer Perspective on Musical 109 Genre Manipulation 3.2.4 The Combination of the Protagonists and the Effect 117 of Industrial and Media Strategies 3.2.5 Other Marketing Strategies and their Relation to 121 Audience Development 3.3 A Fresh Perspective on Access, Manipulation and 122 Profiling in Relation to Musical Genre 3.3.1 Problems of Genre Identification Caused by Industry 122 Manipulation 3.3.1.1Mis-Categorisation 122 3.3.1.2Mis-Timing of Release 123 3.3.1.3The Manipulation of Categories for Specific 123 Purpose 3.3.1.4 Retro Music and its Effect on Genre Categories 124 3.3.2 Consumer Profiling 124 3.3.3 The Construction of Record Labels, New Technologies 125 and Ease of Access 10 11 Chapter 4 Punk, Hardcore and Nu Punk: a 128 triangle of alternative youth culture 4.0 Introduction 128 4.1 Terms of Reference 129 4.1.0 Punk as a Subculture 129 4.1.1 Identifying a Tag and a Temporal Period for 133 the Genres in this Study 4.1.2 Identifying the Body of Knowledge 134 4.1.3 The Difficulties in Establishing 134 Reference Points for Punk and Nu Punk 4.2 The origin, naming, development, similarities and 140 differences of punk and nu punk 4.2.1 The naming of punk 141 4.2.2 The dichotomy caused by the naming process 143 4.2.3 Naming the artists within the genre 4.3 The Development of Punk and Nu Punk 146 4.3.1 A Historical Development 146 4.3.1.1 Punk 146 4.3.1.2 Hardcore and New Wave: The Antithesis 148 Conundrum 4.3.1.3 Nu Punk 151 4.3.2 Spatial