Quickly read Adorno's (1941) article 'On Popular Music' (links below). In no more than a few paragraphs, summarise his ideas on pop music, concentrating on key points such as 'standardisation', 'psuedo-individualisation' etc.
Adorno says that "The whole structure of popular music is standardized, even when where the attempt is made to circumvent standarization."
Adorno talks about different types of music, popular and serious music.
"Serious music, for comparative purposes, may be thus characterized: Every detail derives its musical sense from the concrete totality of the piece which, in turn, consists of the life relationship of the details and never of a mere enforcement of a musical scheme." (Adorno On Popular Music, 'A Critical and Cultural Theory Reader', Open University Press, Buckingham, p.212) He uses Beethoven as an example of serious music, where if you listen to all the song, you get it's 'lyrical and expressive quality' and true meaning in context.
In comparison to popular music, if any detail was taken out of context, the listener would still be able to know the song, "it would not affect the musical sense if any detail were taken out of the context; the listener can supply the 'framework' automatically, since it is a mere musical automatism itself.' (P.213) He explains that the beginning chorus to the majority of popular music are all the same, or very similar, due to the standardisation.
"The composition hears for the listener. This is how popular music divests the listener of his spontaniety and promotes conditioned reflexes."(P.215) Adorno explains that when the listener listens to the popular music, they don't think about it, they behave in a 'conditioned' way. Popular music must meet two demands, one is to get the listeners attention, the other "is for the material to fall within the category of what the musically untrained ear listener would call 'natural' music."(P.215) What ever type of music the listener is most comfortable listening to.
"Popular music is 'Pre digested' in a way strongly resembling the fad of 'digests' of printed material.' (P.215)
Pseudo-individualisation
"..endowing cultural mass production with the halo of free choice or open market on the basis of standardization itself. Standardization of song hits keeps the customers in line by doing their listening for them." (P.217) It makes the listeners forget that the music has already been listened to for them (pre-digested).
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