University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--Music Music 2019 Gender, Politics, Market Segmentation, and Taste: Adult Contemporary Radio at the End of the Twentieth Century Saesha Senger University of Kentucky, [email protected] Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2020.011 Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Senger, Saesha, "Gender, Politics, Market Segmentation, and Taste: Adult Contemporary Radio at the End of the Twentieth Century" (2019). Theses and Dissertations--Music. 150. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/music_etds/150 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Music at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--Music by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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Saesha Senger, Student Dr. Donna Lee Kwon, Major Professor Dr. Lance Brunner, Director of Graduate Studies GENDER, POLITICS, MARKET SEGMENTATION, AND TASTE: ADULT CONTEMPORARY RADIO AT THE END OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY _______________________________________ DISSERTATION ________________________________________ A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Fine Arts at the University of Kentucky By Saesha Mary Senger Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Donna Lee Kwon, Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology Lexington, Kentucky 2019 Copyright © Saesha Mary Senger 2019 ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION GENDER, POLITICS, MARKET SEGMENTATION, AND TASTE: ADULT CONTEMPORARY AT THE END OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY This dissertation explores issues of gender politics, market segmentation, and taste through an examination of the contributions of several artists who have achieved Adult Contemporary (AC) chart success. The scope of the project is limited to a period when many artists who figured prominently in both the broader mainstream of American popular music and the more specific Adult Contemporary category were most commercially viable: from the mid-1980s through the 1990s. My contention is that, as gender politics and gendered social norms continued to change in the United States at this time, Adult Contemporary – the chart, the format, and the associated music – was an important, if overlooked or even trivialized, arena in which these shifting gender dynamics played out. This dissertation explores the significance of the Adult Contemporary format at the end of the twentieth century through analysis of chart performance, artist image, musical works, marketing, and contextual factors. By documenting these relevant social, political, economic, and musical factors, the notable role of a format and of artists neglected by scholars becomes clear. I explore these issues in the form of lengthy case studies. Examinations of how Adult Contemporary artists such as Michael Bolton, Wilson Phillips, Matchbox Twenty, David Gray, and Mariah Carey were produced and marketed, and how their music was disseminated, illustrate record and radio industry strategies for negotiating the musical, political, and social climate of this period. Significantly, musical and lyrical analyses of songs successful on AC stations, and many of their accompanying promotional videos highlight messages about musical genre, gender, race, and age. This dissertation ultimately demonstrates that Adult Contemporary-oriented music figured significantly in the culture wars, second and third wave feminism, expressions of masculinity, Generation-X struggles, postmodern identity, and market segmentation. This study also illustrates how the record and radio industries have managed audience composition and behavior to effectively and more predictably produce and market music in the United States. This dissertation argues that, amid broader social determinations for taste, the record industry, radio programmers, and Billboard chart compilers and writers have helped to make and reinforce certain assumptions about who listens to which music and why they do so. In addition, critics have weighed in on what different musical genres and artists have offered and for whom, often assigning higher value to music associated with certain genres, socio-political associations, and listeners while claiming over-commercialization, irrelevance, aesthetic insignificance, and bad taste for much other music. KEYWORDS: Adult Contemporary Format, Radio, Gender Politics, Popular Music Studies, Music Criticism Saesha Mary Senger December 9, 2019 GENDER, POLITICS, MARKET SEGMENTATION, AND TASTE: ADULT CONTEMPORARY AT THE END OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY By Saesha Senger Dr. Donna Lee Kwon Director of Dissertation Dr. Lance Brunner Director of Graduate Studies December 9, 2019 To Charlie, my greatest supporter ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I could not have completed this dissertation without the support of my advisor, Dr. Donna Lee Kwon. She has supported my work throughout this process, which in many cases meant patiently waiting for me to complete a draft, and then reading through a very long chapter. The members of my advisory committee – Dr. Jonathan Glixon, Dr. Kevin Holm-Hudson, Dr. Ron Pen, Dr. James Revell Carr, and Dr. Jeffrey Peters – also supported this project, allowing me to research a subject that some might consider unworthy of study. I am grateful that these scholars saw the value in my ideas and allowed me the freedom to explore them to the best of my ability. Many other teachers have contributed to the completion of this PhD. That they have done so indirectly makes their support no less valuable. Dr. Christopher Wilkinson, Mr. Bart Bailey, Dr. Liana Tyson, Dr. Francesca Arnone, Dr. Jeanne Belfy, Dr. Zart Dombourian-Eby, and Professor Marcellus Brown are among the many teachers who contributed their time and knowledge to help me become a better musician and scholar. Without their support I surely would have taken a less productive and satisfying path. To the friends and fellow students who helped me continue playing music and writing about it through both good and bad circumstances, thank you for your love and support. Hillary Hayward, Angela Langer, Susan Kiflawi, Christina Wilson, Krista Aasland, Phil Bracken, Megan Murph, Jenny Tullman, Elizabeth Varnado, Isaac Maupin – I don’t know who I would be without you. My family has provided tireless support throughout my musical education, from my first days playing flute to the present day. Thank you to my parents, who respected iii my choices even when circumstances became difficult. Thank you to my grandparents, who have always been a phone call away. That I have never questioned their love and support has helped me believe in myself. Lastly, I must thank my husband Charlie. He is my greatest advocate and best conference presentation test subject. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements........................................................................................................... iii List of Tables.................................................................................................................... vii List of Figures.................................................................................................................. viii Chapters 1. Introduction....................................................................................................... 1 History of Radio Formats............................................................................ 7 Adult Contemporary: Its Labels and its Listeners..................................... 15 Segmentation............................................................................................. 22 Popularity Charts....................................................................................... 27 Methodological and Theoretical Framework............................................ 35 Literature Review...................................................................................... 40 Social and Political