CIU 211 Dialectical Enquiry

1. What makes mainstream pop
music so appealing

2. The millennial whoop
What is it? A musical vocal effect, utilising the ‘’Wa’’ and
“Oh” syllables in a repeating pattern on the fifth and third
notes in a major scale.

3. What is mainstream pop music ?
Mainstream - A term that refers to the common current of
thought of the majority, meaning that these things are those
that are currently popular with most people.
Pop music - Pop music is played everywhere! On the radio, on
tv, in the mall, during commercials, at the theatre, you also
see promotions everywhere, you see mainstream artists
promoting certain brands. This may or may not affect people's
subconscious minds, making them feel like they need more of
‘this and that’.

4. Most pop songs are -
1)Harmonical Simple
2)Dancey-but not over the top
3)Over 3minutes long
4)114.2 BPM - 120 BPM
5)LOUD

5. All pop songs sound pretty much similar? why?
Record companies need to minimise risks - According to the
IFPI, (An organization that represents the recording
industry)it takes about 500,000 - 2,000,000 to break a new
artist in a new territory. And it isn't cheap to record and
promote a new artist worldwide. Big companies like sony and
universal would do anything to get there artists out there.
Everything they promote needs to sell.To make sure that
happens, you need low risk music(the kind of music that is
already in the charts)

6. Lower risk music
What is it? The kind of music that's already in the charts.
How do you do it? You higher low risk songwriters.
THE BIGGEST ARTISTS out there don't even write most of their songs! THEy
just work with the same songwriters ( max martin, dr luke etc..)

7. ● Swedish songwriter, Max Martin - written/co-written 21
billboard songs such as, Katy Perry's Roar, The weeknds
can't feel my face and Taylor swift's shake it off. He’s
had over 54 songs in the billboard top 10.
● Song writers like him are the main reason why a lot of
pop songs sounds the same.

8. Familiarity
As human beings we’re drawn to familiarity. If something
sounds similar to what you’ve heard before you’re more likely
to enjoy it, our brain tends to fill in the gaps.

9. Sex sells!
● 92% of top ten billboard songs are about sex.
● There is an average of 10.49 sex-related phrases per
song, with R&B being head-and-shoulders(-and-maybe-some-
other-body-parts) above the two other musical genres
analyzed, country and pop.
● "Sexual appeal" was the most popular theme among both R&B
and pop songs, while "commitment" was most prevalent in
country music. (Grandoni, 2017)

10. In conclusion
I think the music industry has been very successful in
sexualizing the public. We see it everywhere. I’ve seen
people change. For a lot of people sex has become one of the
most important things in life. We become what we’re exposed
to. Our minds our very powerful and our subconscious can't
differentiate between what's real and what's not, and that's
why I think it's important for all of us to choose what we
think is right for us. Finally: what I think makes mainstream
music so appealing ?, it's the catchy-ness. Our brains like
familiar things. Personally I don't really listen to
mainstream music but I do see why people like it so much

11. References
Grandoni, D. (2017). 92% of Top Ten Billboard Songs Are About Sex. The Atlantic. Retrieved 09
October 2017, from https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/09/92-top-ten-billboard-
songs-are-about-sex/337242/
plural?, W. (2017). What does "mainstream pop music" mean? And is it singular or plural?.
English.stackexchange.com. Retrieved 09 October 2017, from
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/219990/what-does-mainstream-pop-music-mean-and-is-it-
singular-or-plural
'Sex' Sells: The Success of Sex & Love Songs on the Billboard Charts. (2017). Billboard. Retrieved
09 October 2017, from http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6723073/sex-sells-success-love-songs-
billboard-charts-study