week8 Are sub-cultures a sign of revolt or an expression of style?

I think that sub-cultures are both a sign of revolt and an expression of style, because there seems to be a link between the two. The 'punk-rock' movement arose in Great Britain in the 1970s as a reaction to the poor social conditions, such as the growing number of unemployment among the young and bad housing conditions etc. The 'punk' culture began to basically revolt or rebel against the general state of the society. And to express how they felt or what they thought, they would do so through 'punk', using punk-rock music and a strong but strange sense of style (tattoos, ripped jeans, dyed spiky hair and also using safety pins to hold pieces of clothing together). This was all done to reflect the disatisfaction of the poor situation which the youth of that time appeared to be in.  

Week7 Can popular music be a genuine force for political change?

I believe that there can be a politcal dimention with popular music and that the content of a song can reflect current political issuse and events, but i do not think that popular music can force political change. Popular music can definately infuence or encourage political change, rather than forcing it. Some songs are developed in order to take a politcal position and to make strong political statements. Examples of this can be seen with the artist Bob Marley and his song 'Get up, Stand up, which is a political song supporting the rastafari movement. There are also songs that are not allowed to be broadcasted because they may have a strong political effect on people, this shows how powerful music can be. To help political change there are special events that take place, such as Live Aid. These events use popular music to help raise awareness to political problems. Other examples can additionally be seen in football with national athems. But either way popular music can make a political statement and influence political change but it can not force it.

Week6 Is DRM the best way to save the music industry?

DRM, which stands for Digital Rights Management is basically a set of rule and controls that limit what you can do witha digital music file. DRM is a way to try and stop you from doing certain things to a music file such as copying, downloading for free and being avle to open or play the file on different devices. But is DRM the best way to save the music industry? I do not think that DRM can totally save the music industry, but i do think that it can help. DRM can be found on CDs and music websites such as i-tunes. Without DRM there would be no limitations or any control of what you can do with a music file, but with it makes it possible to protect and securely deliver musicfiles. It can also help consumers stay within the copyright laws and artists and record labels can still get their money from thier music. Although there are ways around DRM which may be illegal, it still happens. So in all i think that DRM can not save the music industry by itself but it can help.