Introduction
Ever since the evolution of the radio in the early 1900’s, (and chances are long before that,) music has reigned king over American culture. Whether you’re an eighty-five year old man or a thirteen year old girl, it seems as if music is one of the few remaining things that all Americans can agree on, regardless of background. We hear music in your everyday locations such as the elevator or shopping mall, but unfortunately, the realm has become so second nature that many Americans now take this overlooked phenomenon for granted.
Thus, for my cultural ethnography project I intend to take a deeper look into the ideas behind these simple sounds. Who decides what music we listen to? What qualifies a song as popular? Over the next couple weeks I will answer both these questions and more as I will attempt to find out what factors contribute to the type of music people listen to.