PBS Idea Channel's Mike Rugnetta Says 'Pop Music is Holding You Hostage'

The PBS Idea Channel's Mike Rugnetta is once again tackling the hard issues, and this time his crosshairs are aimed at... pop music. Is pop music bad? In truth, pop music is a much easier target than we would like to believe, a fact well-recognized by host Mike Rugnetta in his opening segment of the episode entitled: "Is Pop Music Holding You Hostage?" Rather than harp on its quality, the video (below) goes on to address the question of just how pop music manages to become so... well, popular. A bit of common sense (combined with a good heart) would tell us that the journey of music's popularity is a purely democratic process --- that, despite having to endure the best and worst of artists' turnout along the way, we ourselves are entirely to blame for what follows us around. The truth of the matter, as PBS Idea Channel's Mike Rugnetta outlines, is a bit more complex. So, is pop music bad? As he puts it, it may just be that "pop music is holding you hostage."

Although Music.Mic takes a harsher stance on the moral detriment of the industry, democratically-speaking, yes, music production will always be determined by the charts. If people flock to a particular product, or boycott a particular product, it's naturally in any company's best interests to meet the need and adjust their strategy. The safest move for an industry, then, is to predict customer demand ahead of time so that they can confidently churn out a product that will yield maximum profits. However, seeing as music tastes are notoriously fickle, PBS Idea Channel's Mike Rugnetta summarizes the conundrum in a wry defense of the industry:

"It can become very difficult from a business standpoint to accurately predict which pieces of music are going to be worth the time and money to promote at world-class studios by people with golden ears."

The result, he goes on to say, is an attempt to ensure "market stability" by shoring up the inherent uncertainties in the music industry. Using a plethora of sales tactics and publicity stunts, certain styles of music are placed in "high visible" areas of consumer culture (i.e., movies, commercials, and of course, the radio) to gauge receptivity. Speaking of radio, and its paramount importance for artists' success, radio air-time's high desirability often requires something a bit less tolerable: the practice of "payola." Though illegal, there are countless ways around the law, all of which are regularly exploited by labels and publicists.

Though designed as a means of gauging receptivity, plastering music throughout pop culture can actually be a highly influential factor when it comes to instilling emotional connections to the music. In a sense, we buy it because we're exposed to it, a paradox that PBS Idea Channel's Mike Rugnetta summarizes as "pop music is holding you hostage." As far as legal implications go, this identifies the "payola" as the single greatest investment a record company can make... as well as the single greatest roadblock to broadcasting more creative works. Unfortunately for the listeners, the mandate to pursuing "market stability" means taking risks are rarely in a label's best interests.