Popular Music Culture: The Key Concepts

by Roy Shuker

Presenting a comprehensive A-Z glossary of the main terms and concepts used in the study of popular music, this fully updated second edition covers key new developments in the area, such as the impact of the Internet and Reality TV. Key definitions * important musical genres, from bhangra to punk rock * musical subcultures, from hippies to Goths * methodologies, from Marxism to postmodernism * musicological terms, from sound to harmony * musical phenomena, from girl groups to concept albums. All entries are fully cross-referenced and include suggestions for further reading and listening - making this an invaluable resource for anyone studying or interested in popular music.

Genres: Music, Reference, Nonfiction

344 pages, Paperback

First published June 22, 1998

Reviews

[Leyla]

Of all the books and articles I had to read for my uni papers this semester, this book was probably the only one I fully read. It was so helpful to my paper on the debate of high vs popular culture and how women are actively excluded from the musical canon. The key concepts are very well explained, it goes into detail about the effects of biases and how sexism affects the perception of music (which was especially helpful to me). If you’re interested in cultural studies and the world of music, this might be a nice book to start with to dip your toe into the world of culture studies (it’s fun (although also slightly infuriating) here, I promise!)