In today’s society the teenager has more rights than ever before. Along with these rights come responsibility, independence and the development of good judgment. It is the belief of many people that all of the afore mentioned qualities are destroyed in the lives of teens due to popular music. Today, pop music remains one of the most controversial issues in modern society. Because adolescences are seen as being highly impressionable their negative actions are constantly being evaluated and traced back to sources of culture, and since pop music plays such a huge role in the lives of most teens, it is an easy target to place the blame.

The criticism of popular music begins with the “rock star”. Many will argue that teens who are struggling to fit into society see rock stars as idols . One main reason that this occurs is because of the accessibility of what these rock stars are publishing. Think of all the things that teenagers have in front of them everyday; radio, television, clothing, billboard advertisements, etc. all of which are covered with popular musicians. Because of their tremendous presence, teens begin to perceive rock stars as extravagant people with no bound

Williams initial hypothesis was that she was going to find “some enthusiastic teenagers who defined themselves, to some extent, through the music they chose to listen to” (228). However, as her study progressed Williams began to feel that the students were only talking about music began they were being forced to and not because it was important to them. She also realized that in the grand spectrum of mass media popular music ranked equally with all other media forms in terms of the teenagers interviewed.

Pop music continues to prosper and it owes all the credit to the teenage population. Teens spend more money on music than any other age group and they are the number one contributors to the growing popularity of MTV and MTV2 (Music Television that shows videos of the current popular music). Because of the intense involvement that teens have with music, it becomes an easy scapegoat for the rising numbers of teen violence, rape and suicide problems. Even with the countless studies that have been done and continue to be done that prove there is no correlation between popular music and behavior there exist an equal number of instances where music is viewed as the culprit (as in the cases of Kurt Cobain and Marilyn Manson) and this is what causes such animosity towards the industry. So, while teens may argue that their personal lives are not at all alerted by the music they listen to, they will still have to be aware of the fact that the general public of older generations feels differently, and no amount of studies or arguing will change that. As far as the music industry, it will continue to prosper despite the criticism. No amount of negative press will be able to override the determination of the teen population as far as choosing what music to listen to and ultimately what is popular.

Over and over again, bills have been proposed for the prevention of explicit lyrics, but they are always denied. The only ones that pass do not prevent anything, they simply require warning. “In 1992, the state of Washington passed a law called the Erotic Music Bill. this law stated that store owners had to place an ‘adult only’ label on certain recordings. This law also stated that it was a crime for anyone to sell a CD or tape that had an ‘adult only’ label on it to a person under the age of eighteen” (Gilchrist). Although this bill was passed it was never put into effect because the State Court declared it unconstitutional. They decided that the mandatory labeling laws go against the first amendment rights of artists to express themselves freely, “and on their fans rights to hear what the artists express -- whatever the subject might be” (Gilchrist).

With these rising violent acts that seem to be stemming from popular music, parents are forced to take a more pro-active role in their children’s lives. A 1997 article written by Robert Lovinger outlines three families and the steps they take and are taking as far as popular music is concerned. One mother (Linda Soucy) starts out by saying “she knew about violent lyrics extolling the gangsta life, but had no idea of the sexually explicit music kids had access to” (Lovinger). The lyrics she is talking about are those of Lil’ Kim, a black rapper. After she heard Lil’ Kim’s CD Soucy took it from her son and returned it to the store where he purchased it. The other three families interviewed in the article take the same standpoint as Soucy, and do not allow their children to listen to any music they have not previously approved themselves. These parents believe it should be “illegal to sell hard-core music CDs to kids” (Lovinger) and they do not understand why if teens can’t rent a pornographic movie or buy cigarettes and alcohol they are allowed to buy X-rated CDs.

Some topics in this essay:
Williams Williams, Today’s Society, Kurt Cobain, Ohio Beck, Music Bill, Defamation Eminem, Marilyn Manson, Tupac Biggie, Ideally CD, Mathers Eminem, popular music, rock stars, kurt cobain, gangster rap, pop music, negative press, ‘adult only’ label, marilyn manson, rap receiving, artists express, only’ label, gangster rap receiving,