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Are music Tribes a thing of the past? start learning
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Like-minded music fans have been bonding together for half a century. But is this on its way out?
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There was a time when the average person formed their opinions about pop music not just on what they heard, start learning
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but also on their reaction to the many groups of young people who followed the very different kinds of music.
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These impressions were based on the clothes they wore as much their behaviour in general. start learning
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The style-conscious mods of the 1960s would roam around on their scooters all day,
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getting off only for an occasional fight with passing rockers, start learning
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identified by their powerful motorbikes, greased hair and leather jackets.
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And in the 70s and 80s, punks would dye their hair pink and terrorise grannies, start learning
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or at least that is how they came across in the media.
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But when we was the last time a new kind of music was associated with a particular group of youths in the same way? start learning
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These days you can’t always tell what music someone likes just by looking at them.
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People now seem less likely to hold on tight to their cultural identity, which means that, although tribes still exist, they are looser and broader than before. start learning
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This change is probably due to the fact that music is now accessed in very different ways, with people able to listen to it at any time.
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Hardly any young people remember pop culture before the internet, when records were bought rather than streamed or downloaded. start learning
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Neither have they experienced a time when they were limited to tracks they could hear on the radio or get on a cassette from friends.
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19-year-old Bianca Munyankore agrees that the excitement of listening to a song you waited to buy has probably gone. start learning
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However, the freedom of simply listening to whatever you want, whenever you want more than makes up for that feeling.
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In any case, saving up to buy a CD means you wouldn’t be exploring any other music, and she believes an openness to music is now a natural part of being young. start learning
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Music writer and teacher Neil Kulkarni observes that, although sub-cultures still exist, they are no longer participated in with pride or any form of aggression.
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These days, rather than making any kind of statement, it’s just a way for kids to say what kind of music they’re into. start learning
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And a lot of youngers are now finding that their taste overlaps with other groups.
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The internet has made them more prepared to listen to things that they wouldn’t necessarily have expected to like and, as a result, there are more connections between sub-cultures. start learning
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So, does that mean that tribes are, in fact expanding, rather than dying?
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Author Paul Hodkinson thinks so; he believes the fact that pop tribes have changed over the years means that they’ve succeeded rather than failed. start learning
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If other people find you odd, and if that makes you unpopular, it’s important to connect with other people like you, he says.
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Being in a tribe’s always about being comfortable. start learning
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But surely comfort wasn’t important to tribes in the sixties, seventies and eighties?
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Wasn’t there a spirit of protest that drove angry mods and rockers and rebellious punks? start learning
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Hodkinson believes that the political aspect was exaggerated.
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The desire to be part of a group is often about far less exciting things start learning
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such as trying to make friends or having something to do.
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Mass communication has meant that sharing music is now easy. start learning
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Another consequence of this is that all kinds of music are now found much more in the mainstream.
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The most underground metal or hip-hop can be found not just on the internet, start learning
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but even on TV; many musicians make their money from TV or adverts rather than from fans buying music or concert tickets.
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Perhaps the biggest change to pop tribes, though, is that they are no longer restricted to young people. start learning
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Today, audiences for punk gigs or metal nights range in age from 16 to 60 and mix well together.
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Which appears to show that, if a pop tribe means anything these days, it seems to be about a set of tastes, start learning
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rather than a stage of life you go through before reaching adulthood.
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