Conclusion

Abstract

This book set out to examine two intersecting developments in popular culture. The first related to the corporatised synergy between the majors and music reality TV contests. The second was concerned with technological change within the organisational structure of the music industry. Both are inextricably connected in the digital world. In doing so, it has a made a case for a Weberian approach to an understanding of how music industry dynamics are concerned with ‘distributive patterns and outcomes’ or ‘ends’ (Parkin, 1979: 5) in the commodification of pop music. The emphasis has been on the challenges cultural gatekeepers have faced in recent years. Etzioni (1964: 54), remarks, ‘Bureaucratic structure is fragile; it needs to be constantly protected against external pressures to safeguard the autonomy required if it is to be kept closely geared to its goals and not others.’ Etzioni here refers to the preservation of Weber’s central organisational principles in ensuring processes are disrupted to an absolute minimum. Specifically, Weber observes that, while ‘the value of musical rationalisation is the transformation of the process of musical production into a calculable affair’, there are challenges, as ‘constantly running… counter to this … is the drive for expressive flexibility’ (Weber, 1991 [1958]: li).