Pop Culture War Essay

The pop culture war referred to in the text was about the battle between the ASCAP (American Society for Composers, Authors, and Publishers, and BMI (Broadcast Music Incorporated) for the rights for publishing, the copyrighting of, and ownership for the royalties earned from the music. With the advent of rock ‘n’ roll, the introduction of plentiful and low-cost records, the mobility of portable radios, and the youthful following it garnered, traditional ways that people enjoyed music and entertainment began to change.
The ASCAP and its members were negatively impacted by the popularity of radio over their artists’ live music/concert formats, while the BMI and its members benefitted from their music being promoted on the radio shows. Radio DJs exerted great influence with the kids who listened to their programs, along with have a greater control of which records would be popular, and which products they marketed on their shows.

Advertisers also recognized that the teens who listened to the radio broadcast had a huge influence in the products their parents bought. Before long, Congress joined the debate between the ASCAP and BMI to determine and define what corporate controls should be in place, who benefitted from the licensing profits of the music, and were consumers being manipulated by the content of the music played and the advertisements that were being showcased in the radio stations.

The pop culture war of this era very influential in modern society because it changed the way music was licensed to protect the artists and their producers, highlighted the generational gap between teenagers and the adults around them, and it changed the way people listened to, purchased, chose, and enjoyed