An interdisciplinary analysis of popular music genres in the recording studio and billboard charts

Abstract

How do music production techniques play a role in establishing popular music genres? My research illustrates how genres exhibit distinctive sounds and audio production qualities. My findings are based on two case studies: (1) a case study concerning a band known as The Sweet Boys; and (2) a case study involving genre classification in the Western music industry using the Billboard charts. In the Sweet Boys case study, I present evidence of the interconnectedness between genre classification, sociology, music theory, and audio production. In the Billboard case study, I highlight that the use of music information retrieval systems (MIRs) leads to artist saturation, blurred genre boundaries, and the reproduction of gender inequities. I conclude with interviews from professionals working with MIRs. Interviewees support the need to improve genre-based MIRs with the addition of audio features that successfully convey distinct sonic aesthetics of audio production techniques used in Western popular music.