A background to the music industry and some basic theory

Out of all the different media, pop music is one of the most dependent on the genre. Genres are constantly being invented and changed, some coming back from the past; it is important for the producers and fans of the music to understand the categorisation of genres of music. The category pop music is simply just a play on words for popular music, whereas genres such as house music have complex definitions that define and enforce the music.

The main categories being: pop, dance, R&B, hip-hop/rap, rock, punk, country, folk, jazz, blues, Latin, gospel, reggae and new age. All of these categories contain a myriad of sub-genres and also link creating hybrids and mash-ups. However they all have their own unique musical characteristics, such as the rhythm, lyrics and instruments used in the songs. They can also be separately associated with other factors like clothing, hair and lifestyle of the artists, but also by the fans who follow these rules. Each other these genres is heard in a different place and way, for example pop music being the most accessible as it is the most 'popular', finding it on many radio stations, music channels, concerts, magazines, etc. Whereas more niche genres can be heard on specific designated places, like rock radio, or reggae magazines, even specialist record shops or websites.

The genre and artist's image is a very key paradigm for music genre, how the artist looks categorises them before they even start performing. To truly fit the genre category, the artist/band must represent the genre visually as well as musically, on record sleeves, public photos and music videos.



A few examples here show the difference of these artists image and what genre they are.

Jay-Z is under the hip-hop/rap genre and I feel this is straightened well from his appearance, the vintage black and white effect shows the grime and urban feel to his music, while dressed simply in black with a bandanna, doing his trade mark sign of the triangle.



Nicki Minaj is a slight hybrid as she incorporates some rap into pop, but I would categorise her under the genre pop. This is demonstrated through her very load and colourful album cover, which also suggests her music is fun, colourful and catchy, much like all pop.


This Kiss album cover shows the extreme image of rock, their title even labelling them as rock and roll; their face paint and black hair show their type of music and image very well.


I chose an album cover of Bob Marley to show the reggae genre, typically known for smoking weed and being very chilled. This image sums up his aura and music genre very well as it is simple and happy.

One Direction also is under the pop genre but as a boy band has a different image to Minaj. They show they are all great friends and are happy and sweet like their music. This cover sums their image and music up very well.