Art And Survival: Observations

By DAVID K. PRIDE

The commercialization of American culture has been documented, dissected and debated by scholars, writers and social scientists. Sure, some Americans are conscious of what's happening, but feel powerless fighting corporations and conglomerates that have deep pockets, immense economic and political power and an unquenchable thirst for more. Indeed, after an initial jolt of indignant outrage, many of these Americans, believing their options limited, shrug and slink back to their jobs, praying they haven't been laid off courtesy of another corporate downsizing or mega-merger.

But it's with our children that the commercialization of culture has its greatest impact. Two videotapes now available make this point uncomfortably clear. And after viewing them, chances are you won't look at the music industry or popular culture the same way again.

"Frontline: The Merchants of Cool" from PBS breaks down how marketers salivate over our teens and use seemingly innocuous methods to grab their dollars. "Money for Nothing: Behind the Scenes of Pop Music" from the Media Education Foundation, shows that an artist doesn't necessarily gain star status through the vox populi, but through a carefully coordinated strategy of incestuous corporate relationships and promotions that leave the artist footing the bill.

It's not pretty.

In "Merchants of Cool," Professor Robert McChesney, who has written extensively on American culture, says corporations "look at the teen market as part of this massive empire they are colonizing" And their weaponry are films, music, books, CDs, Internet access, clothing, amusement parks, sports teams... all of this weaponry to make money off this market."

The nation's 32 million teens spend $100 billion a year. With a hunger to be cool, yet still being very impressionable, teens are the perfect target for consumerism. "Merchants of Cool" shows how companies use "cool hunters" to find teens whose lead in fashion or music others may follow. It talks about how Viacom, owner of MTV, Comedy Central and other popular culture properties, uses a symbolic dude called "The Mook" -- a crude, loud, obnoxious, sex-crazed, in-your-face male -- in marketing to teen males. And when it comes to teen females, it's "The Midriff," for girls are consumed by their appearance.

While "Merchants of Cool" takes a general view of teen consumerism and the finely tuned corporate engine that drives it, "Money for Nothing" will strip away any idealistic thoughts you might hold about the music industry.

Says host Thursten Moore of Sonic Youth: "If we only look at the music business from this one perspective, the qualities of individual musicians, then we'll misunderstand how the pop music industry works." So "Money for Nothing" looks at the business by looking at "the gatekeepers " of music -- radio, video channels, retail stores as well as tours, advertising and marketing.

With five companies (BMG, AOL Time Warner, Vivendi Universal, EMI and Sony) controlling 80 percent of the industry pop music choices are limited. Once a vehicle for popular expression, pop music no longer holds that role. "It really isn't the people's medium," says Robert McChesney, who is featured in this video as well. "It's the property of four or five companies who have inordinate control over what sort of music gets produced and over what sort of music doesn't."

And those companies are run by business executives who "treat records and music the way somebody would treat Brillo pads or Frito-Lay chips," says Chuck D. Pop artists are commodities, and it's more profitable for the company to generate larger sells from fewer artists rather than smaller sells from a large number of artists. So rosters are trimmed in favor of big hit wonders who provide immediate results. "The nature of a monopoly is to propel itself and not innovate," says Dave Marsh, a music journalist. That's why everything popular sounds pretty much the same.

Using powerful graphics, "Money for Nothing" shows which companies own what labels and retail outlets. It also shows the importance of "cross-media" marketing. For example, the WB network, owned by AOL Time Warner, had a reality show "Pop Stars" in which a group called "Eden's Crush" is created from scratch. Their album was put out on a Warner Bros. label, its single released exclusively on Internet service provider AOL, and stories about the group popped up in Time Warner publications such as Teen People, Entertainment Weekly and Time.

But all is not lost. "Money for Nothing" ends on a high note, suggesting artists turn to independent labels, which don't depend on exorbitant profits and can offer greater control of their work. It also encourages listeners to support those labels as well as independent bands, radio stations and small record stores. You should also study how the industry works. And as long as there are artists, there will be men and women interested in leaving songs for the next generation, not in the next Top 10 chart.

"The Merchants of Cool" and "Money for Nothing" provide much needed insight to understanding the purveyors of cultural commercialism. But more important, the knowledge contained in these videotapes can be the starting point for empowerment and critical thinking. It may not make you feel any less apprehensive going to work, but if the pink slip comes, at least you'll better understand why.

Educational References & Resources:

1. The quote "Children today really suffer tomorrow" is a lyric from the song, "Save the Children" from the 1971 Marvin Gaye Motown album, What's Going On."

2. The Frontline video, "The Merchants of Cool" is distributed by PBS Video, a department of The Public Broadcasting Service. The video is available through PBS Home Video, 1-800-645-4727 or www.shoppbs.com.

3. The Media Education Foundation's video, "Money for Nothing: Behind the Scenes of Pop Music" is available through the:

Media Education Foundation
26 Center Street
Northampton, MA 01060
Tel: (413) 584-8500 or 800-897-0089
Fax: (413) 586-8398
Mediaed@mediaed.org
www.mediaed.org