Broadly, music can be placed into two catergories;
Organic
Synthetic
Organic
The term 'organic' is used to describe bands where the music comes first, they make the kind of music they want to make and then the record labels, if signed, try and sell this music to the correct market segment.
'Organic' music often appeals to a niche, but can appeal to a mass audience too.
Radiohead, or my favourite band Paramore, are a good examples of organic band. The music comes first!
The Beatles would heavily be considered an 'organic' band. This is because the whole group, have always displayed and truly had a love for music. From John Lennon and Paul McCartney meeting at a church fete, to the group's appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in America, the Beatles would, the majority of the time, stick to writing and performing their own songs. Thus highlighting the bands organic roots, as they released what they wrote, not what the record label had written for them. A bonus of The Beatles success was the fact that they were friends from the very beginning, and were able to share success as friends.
A modern day example of a band I would catagorise as 'organic' is Paramore. The group now consisting of Hayley Williams, Taylor York and Jeremy Davis, met at an after school club for musicians, and now, the alternative rock band, now release what the band want. For example, recently Paramore released a 'pop-ish' song, which brought them much criticism, but they defended themselves by saying , 'it felt right'. Which, in my opinion, cements very much their 'organic' roots.Synthetic
The 'Synthetic' refers to the 'X Factor' methodology, and it is the record labels that sit in the driving seat.
A gap in the market is identified, and then it is exploited by the development of music, and often the artist, to suit this gap.
Money is the uktimate goal in this operation. Acts such as 'One Direction' are a good example of 'manufactured' artists.
The Monkees, were a synthetic band, as they were admittedly made as American competition for The Beatles. The Monkees' record label was the puppetmaster, who wrote the songs and told them, ultimately, what to do. Towards the end of The Monkees' career, they began attempting to have some say, but this never really happened. The Monkees were purely a money making machine for the record label. The Monkees were young boys, who were just put together and so weren't friends and didn't get on quite like the Beatles.A 21st Century 'Synthetic' group is 'One Direction'. The group was put together by Simon Cowell, and X Factor. The members were picked by the record label, and made into what the label and market wanted. The label, will often employ songwriters for the group. Recently, the group has begin to crack, as the boys have had to become friends, rather than being friends before 'One Directions' success.
