Understanding Popular Music Culture

by Roy Shuker

Written specifically for students, this introductory textbook explores the history and meaning of rock and popular music. Roy Shuker's study provides an accessible and comprehensive introduction to the production, distribution, consumption and meaning of popular music and examines the difficulties and debates which surround the analysis of popular culture and popular music.

This heavily revised and updated third edition includes:

new case studies on the iPod, downloading, and copyright the impact of technologies, including on-line delivery and the debates over MP3 and Napster new chapters on music genres, cover songs and the album canon as well as music retail, radio and the charts case studies and lyrics of artists such as Robert Johnson, The Who, Fat Boy Slim and The Spice Girls a comprehensive discography, suggestions for further reading, listening and viewing and a directory of useful websites.
With chapter related guides to further reading, listening and viewing, a glossary, and a timeline, this textbook is the ideal introduction for students.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Sociology, Cultural Studies, History

328 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Matt Chisling (MattyandtheBooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shuker's work is a thorough introduction to the study of popular music. This heavily revised version of the work is a great introductory piece, but it should be worth noting that its very much designed for a first-year survey course in the study of popular music. Some of the chapters are a bit unstructured, reading more like a glossary of terms or ideas than a cohesive argument. In addition, I would advocate for more historical flow in the text. However, Shuker's collection is well documented, all encompassing, and does offer the reader a glimpse into all the areas of popular music one can study.

[Bec · Rating 3 out of 5]

★★★☆☆ | 3.5 Stars

[This is a review for the 2008 edition which is not on Goodreads]

This textbook covers a whole range of issues related to the production and consumption of popular music. It's really only an introduction to these issues and can be at times stretched a little too thin. Nevertheless, I found it interesting to learn about music from before my time and how trends have played out over the last century or so.

[Lee Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was a good book to help me understand more of music culture. I like the attributes that explain the rapid evolution of music consumerism.
He mentions a guy called 'Frith' a lot to support his evidence, and finally i enjoyed the 'Packaging reggae' chapter, that explains how reggae was founded and brought to the masses.
overall it is a great book but a pretty heavy!

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is very much an overview of the field - a map of which academic has said what about popular music. Shaker doesn't have much to say here on his own account. I get that - but he could have made it a bit more readable. You can be both academically rigorous and interesting at the same time. This managed to take a fascinating subject and make it dull.

[Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful as a reference for further readings but not riveting in itself (it is a textbook after all).