Understanding Popular Music Culture
6th Edition
Will be published approx. on 2. November 2026
386 pages
E-Book
978-1-040-46408-3 (ISBN)
Description
This completely revised and updated 6th edition of Understanding Popular Music Culture provides an accessible and comprehensive introduction to the production, distribution, consumption and meanings of popular music in the post-digital age.
Reflecting the breadth of scholarship within popular music studies and charting key elements of popular music culture in the post-digital age, this new edition has been expanded and comprehensively updated to offer an essential guide to the field. This new edition includes:
* Examination of platformisation, music streaming, and AI's evolving implications on music production and consumption.
* Insights into contemporary musical texts and genres including EDM, drill, metal and reggaeton, with case studies on major artists including Adele, Chance the Rapper, Max Martin, Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift.
* Discussion of artist branding, viral videos, 'cancel culture', digital production technologies and pop songwriting.
* Brand new chapter on gender and sexuality, with focussed discussion of hip hop, hyperpop and work within the music industries.
* Extended coverage of contemporary fandoms, with a spotlight on BTS, plus consideration of music's role in social justice movements from Black Lives Matter to climate change.
This book is written for undergraduate and graduate students studying popular music, cultural studies, media studies and sociology. It is ideal for instructors teaching courses on popular music culture, music industry studies or contemporary cultural analysis, as well as researchers seeking a comprehensive understanding of how popular music functions in today's digital landscape.
Reflecting the breadth of scholarship within popular music studies and charting key elements of popular music culture in the post-digital age, this new edition has been expanded and comprehensively updated to offer an essential guide to the field. This new edition includes:
* Examination of platformisation, music streaming, and AI's evolving implications on music production and consumption.
* Insights into contemporary musical texts and genres including EDM, drill, metal and reggaeton, with case studies on major artists including Adele, Chance the Rapper, Max Martin, Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift.
* Discussion of artist branding, viral videos, 'cancel culture', digital production technologies and pop songwriting.
* Brand new chapter on gender and sexuality, with focussed discussion of hip hop, hyperpop and work within the music industries.
* Extended coverage of contemporary fandoms, with a spotlight on BTS, plus consideration of music's role in social justice movements from Black Lives Matter to climate change.
This book is written for undergraduate and graduate students studying popular music, cultural studies, media studies and sociology. It is ideal for instructors teaching courses on popular music culture, music industry studies or contemporary cultural analysis, as well as researchers seeking a comprehensive understanding of how popular music functions in today's digital landscape.
Reviews / Votes
"This sixth edition of Roy Shuker's vital text, now in collaboration with Marion Leonard and Robert Strachan, offers a thorough, thoughtful, and authoritative reflection on the workings of contemporary popular music expression. From technological and industry contexts to the cultural and societal issues to the musical and thematic content, the team of authors has shaped a far-reaching framework for readers to build greater understanding and appreciation of this impactful cultural form."- Lori Burns, Professor, University of Ottawa
"Understanding Popular Music Culture (6th edition) is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the vast, interdisciplinary field of popular music studies. It skillfully balances key theoretical ideas with engaging discussion and relatable examples. Substantially updated, it expertly explores the historical and contemporary developments shaping popular music today. This edition meets a real need in the field and stands out as an engaging and genuinely student-friendly text."
- Rebekah Farrugia, Professor Communication and Media Studies, Oakland University
"This classic text has been fully revised and updated. It retains its rich and comprehensive coverage of established topics such as music-making, genre, politics and gender while also incorporating new material on more recent developments including platformisation and AI. Crucial reading for everyone engaged in the study of popular music from undergraduate and postgraduate students to established academics and general readers."
- Andy Bennett, Professor of Cultural Sociology, Griffith University
More details
Edition
6th edition
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
ISBN-13
978-1-040-46408-3 (9781040464083)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Robert Strachan | Marion Leonard | Roy Shuker
Understanding Popular Music Culture
Book
approx. 11/2026
6th Edition
Routledge
€191.50
Not yet published
Robert Strachan | Marion Leonard | Roy Shuker
Understanding Popular Music Culture
Book
approx. 11/2026
6th Edition
Routledge
€52.50
Not yet published
Persons
Robert Strachan is a Senior Lecturer in Music at the University of Liverpool. He has published widely on a variety of aspects of music and sound, including technology, creativity, audiovisual media and the history of British Black music. He is the author of Sonic Technologies: Popular Music, Digital Culture and the Creative Process (2017).
Marion Leonard is a Reader in the Department of Music at the University of Liverpool. She is author of Gender in the Music Industry (2007) and Popular Music and Museums (forthcoming). She has published on a range of popular music topics, while her current research has a focus on aspects of music heritage. She has co-edited The Beat Goes On: Liverpool, Popular Music and the Changing City (2010) and Sites of Music Heritage (2014).
Roy Shuker is Adjunct Professor in Media Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. His previous publications include Popular Music Culture. The Key Concepts (Fifth edition, 2022); Understanding Popular Music Culture (Fifth edition, 2016); and Wax Trash and Vinyl Treasures: Record Collecting as a Social Practice (2010).
Marion Leonard is a Reader in the Department of Music at the University of Liverpool. She is author of Gender in the Music Industry (2007) and Popular Music and Museums (forthcoming). She has published on a range of popular music topics, while her current research has a focus on aspects of music heritage. She has co-edited The Beat Goes On: Liverpool, Popular Music and the Changing City (2010) and Sites of Music Heritage (2014).
Roy Shuker is Adjunct Professor in Media Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. His previous publications include Popular Music Culture. The Key Concepts (Fifth edition, 2022); Understanding Popular Music Culture (Fifth edition, 2016); and Wax Trash and Vinyl Treasures: Record Collecting as a Social Practice (2010).
Content
Introduction: popular music culture 1. The music industries: record companies, rights management, platformisation and live music 2. Technologies: from talking machines to artificial intelligence 3. Making music: musicians, creativity, performance and career paths 4. Musical stardom: star texts and auteurs 5. Musical texts: listening, viewing and analysis 6. Art, commerce and authenticity: from teen idols to 'fake' artists 7. Musical genre: style, culture and metadata 8. Marketing music: branding, virality and engagement 9. Popular music on screen: from film and television to YouTube and gaming 10. Music journalism: print, platforms and poptimism 11. Music consumption, identity and fandom 12. Subcultures, sounds, and scenes 13. Politics: protest, social justice and environmental action 14. Gender, sexuality and music cultures 15. Moral panics: folk devils, free speech, censorship and cancel culture 16. Globalisation, internationalisation and state music policy 17. Popular music and the past: histories, memory and heritage Conclusion
