Looking at popular music today, I would be reluctant to label it a "genuine art form". Pop singers can only sing about limited subjects consequently making them sound similar, resulting in a lack of creativity. Theodor Adorno believes that popular music is a mass produced commodity that makes people forget about reality. He looked at its structure and used 'pseudo-individualisation' to explain how popular music affects its audience. He believes that the industry offered the opposite of 'genuine art' and that it is sold to an audience who are passively satisfied. The main goal is ultimately making money, it focusses more on image rather than the content.
My definition of an 'art form' is a creative, artistic expression; which is not the vibe given off by pop music today as it tends to mimic other artists instead of being original. 'Move it on Over' by Hank Williams and 'Rock Around the Clock' by Bill Haley and the Comets shows how popular music accentuates similarity making it more a mass produced commodity, rather than a creative piece of work.
I'm not sure I agree that the subject matter for pop is necessarily limited. Vampire Weekend had a song on their last album about the Japanese Army's abandonment of firearms in favour of the traditional Samurai sword for instance! The big question is whether mass production and art are diametrically opposed, someone like Warhol might suggest otherwise.
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