Portfolio Task 2

Adorno compares popular music to that of serious music implying immediately that they are in 'two musical spheres' (Adorno.T,1941, On Popular Music, pg 73). Adorno believes that ' the whole structure of popular music is standardized' leaving it to be a mass produced industry that gives the illusion of peoples individuality. Adorno points out that 'by the inhert nature of this music itself, into a system of response mechanism wholly antagonistic to the idea of individuality in a free, liberal society' (Adorno.T,1941, On Popular Music, pg 76) implying the listeners think they are being individual but instead are conforming to popular musics predicatble , pre-structured layout. Which then leads to a standard experience. 'The composition hears for the listener' (Adorno.T,1941, On Popular Music, pg 77) taking free thinking out of the equation. With a combination of standardization and pseudo-individualism which is '... endowing cultural mass production with the halo of free choice or open market on the basis of standardization itself.' (Adorno.T,1941, On Popular Music, pg 79). Again leading to the illusion of free choice and making people think the songs are fresh and new but they are more standard then ever, they are just under the guise of being new.
All of this surmounts to popular music being ideological causing people to make an unconscious acceptance of what is going on and what they feel they are choosing to listen to. Whereas, as Adorno points out, ' Popular music is for the masses a perpetual busman's holiday' (Adorno.T,1941, On Popular Music, pg 81) where, ' The people clamor for what they are going to get anyhow' (Adorno.T,1941, On Popular Music, pg 81). 
"Heroes" by the 2010 X Factor finalists epitomizes pseduo-individualization and the standardization of the industry itself. This song is a completely re-manufactured and designed to be sold to the masses with a perception of it being new. Where as, it is actually just another cover song taken from the original David Bowie classic. ' Here, very few possibilities for actual improvisation remain, due to the necessity of merely melodically circumscribing the same underlying harmonic functions' (Adorno.T,1941, On Popular Music, pg 79) meaning everything within the song is structured to the orginal melody and therefor restricts the singers imrpovising skills and the listeners ability to listen to anything new or original.