Culture IndustryTaken from: Production of Culture/Cultures of Production (ed) Paul Du Gay, Sage 1997

In todays lesson we were pretending that we were judges on Xfactor. My group was assigned to be Mel B. We had to be quite harsh as in the show she is the most toughest for he to like someoneand their singing.

We were asked in one sentence to describe XFactor. My group came up with: A competition for the next music sensation/artist.Also we came up with a sentence of what a competition like this may be looking for: The next big thing, someonewho can sell millions of records. Authentic, original and someone who had a good personality.

We went around the class and theses words came up:‘’Like One Direction’’‘’Authentic’’‘’Unique’’‘’Personality’’

We then watched a number of 2014 auditions. We were asked to comment as if we were commenting with them in front of us, we had to comment on what we would change as a professional if they were not in front of us.

Auditions

1. Kayleigh MannersFeedback live to their face- Need to have confidence, Get rid of the guitar.

As a industry professional, what would you be thinking about and plan for them?-

Project her voice, Refine her image.2. Andrea FaustiniFeedback live to their face-Nice personality, Great singer, Likable, Special

An an industry professional, what would you be thinking about and plan for them?-Like a Sam Smith, RnB, Would be good in America, Could sing breakup songs, should work with other artists.

3. Kitten and The HipFeedback live to their face-Bubbly, Potential, Get rid of The Hip, Quirky, Interesting

As an industry professional, what would you be thinking about and plan for them?-Get rid of The Hip, Strip her down natural, Reminder of Eurovision

4. Shaydon WillisFeedback live to their face-Persistent, Can not sing, No, He should express his feelings in a different way.

As an industry professional, what would you be thinking about and plan for them?-He could be a songwriter for other people

5. Tenn SenahFeedback live to their face-Be serious, Not likeable, Good but not great

As an industry professional, what would you be thinking about and plan for them?-Be serious, Songwriter, Could be a part of a girl group

6. RaignFeedback live to their face-Not likeable, Good songwriter, Cocky

As an industry professional, what would you be thinking about and plan for them?-Different, Be careful of the type of song she sings

7. StarlightFeedback live to their face-No

As an industry professional, what would you be thinking about and plan for them?-No

8. Jake QuickendenFeedback live to their face-Perfect, Great singing voice, Determined

As an industry professional, what would you be thinking about and plan for them?-Good recording voice, Perfect, Could work with other artists

9. OverloadFeedback live to their face-Cute, Copying One Direction, Nothing original

As an industry professional, what would you be thinking about and plan for them?-Copycats, Girls will love them, Pop songs

10. Paul AkisterFeedback live to their face-Good recording voice, Perfect

As an industry professional, what would you be thinking about and plan for them?-Very good recording voice, Could work with other artists

Adorno and Horkheimer adopted the term ‘Culture Industry’ to argue that the way in which cultural items were produced was analogous to how other industries manufactured vast quantities of customer goods. In my understanding an example of this is that the way cars are manufactured to the public is the same way artists are advertised for the public.

The culture industry exhibited an assembly-line character which could be observed in the synthetic planned method of turning out its products.

Xfactor Machine.The task that we did in the beginning of the lesson was linked to the idea of the culture industry to a model of mess culture in which cultural production had become a routine, standardized repetitive operation that produced undemanding cultural commodities which in turn resulted in a type of consumption. In my understanding they are saying that things are introduced but go through a routine to make it sellable to the public.

They say that it is the pessimistic lament of cultural elitists who were dismayed at what they perceived to be the homogeneity and vulgarity of ‘mass’ taste, and who were concerned that the potential for artistic creativity in music had been co-opted and corrupted by the production methods and administrative regimes of industrial capitalism. In my understanding, They are saying that artists do not have the creative freedom to sing, look, advertise, and talk about what they wish to but they have to be under the people who get the most money resulting in capitalism doing what they say just to make a sale.

They argue that capitalism enjoys to make things (not only artist) a production system of money. The customers and creative artists are the same.They say that culture industry is the same for other manufacturing industries.

The metaphor of the ‘assembly-line’ was used to stress the repetitive and routine character of cultural production.

StandardizationAdorno discovered that songs that became successful were referred to as ‘standards’ which is used for a category that drew attention to the character. E.g. Pop, Rnb, Soft Rock.Songs are in a repetitive sequence meaning that songs are made to be catchy so that it is imprinted in your mind so you may decide to buy the song form iTunes for example. The whole system is used to gain commercial gain.

Pseudo IndividualityThe definition is the way that the culture industry assembled products that mad claims to ‘originality’ but there are superficial differences. In other words the originality is false but advertising to the public that there is something special. Adorno and Horkheimer said the image of the lock and key which is an item that is mass produced in millions, whose uniqueness lies in only very minor modifications.

ConclusionAdorno and Horkheimer said that the culture industry was supporting and producing masses and to not have the creative freedom over their career.

They explain that artists become standardized not giving them a separate identity from other Artists like it should be as artists like to think that have something special about themselves.