It is very obvious in this day and age that persuasion is all around
us. Music, however is one of the most widely used forms of
entertainment whether it is for recreation, or even personal use,
music can always been seen as a form of persuasion. With the
expanding use of iPod's, satellite radio stations, and various other
music players, it is no surprise that most people turn to music as a
sense of comfort. People of all ages are jumping into the "music
pool" and embracing all of its many wonders. By downloading and using
music affiliated websites such as iTunes, Pandora, MySpace Music,
MTV.com and even Yahoo Launch, it shows just how great of an impact
music has had in this past century, and even before then.
When it came to defining music, I found that music is said to be "an
art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant
forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color"
according to Dictionary.com. I completely agree with the way that the
website explains the word and don't think I could have possibly said
it any better myself. Music has been around since the beginning of
time and it has continued to grow and adapt along with the people
producing it. Music can be used in a variety of different ways as
well. Some groups of people use music as a form of religious worship,
or recreational use while others may use it for therapy purposes or to
release anger and emotions. When it comes to the actual act of
persuading someone with music, I believe there are different ways of
doing so in order to appeal to different audiences. For instance, you
aren't going to try and persuade a group of teenagers to buy a CD and
play them swing dancing music to do so. Different generations of
people are accustomed to different kinds of music that they grew up
listening to. In order to appeal to specific audiences through music,
you would have to know a great deal about their time, as well as what
music influenced their progression through life in order to get
through to them.
I know that for me personally when it comes to music, it is a
definite release no matter what kind of mood I'm in. Whether it is
sad and gloomy or excited, I know that I can always rely on my CD's or
my iPod to brighten my day just a little bit more. The kind of music
that I listen to changes with my mood as well, as I'm sure most people
would agree. If I'm "down in the dumps" a little country music will
make me feel better and if I'm getting ready to go out with my
friends, a little rap or rock will do the trick for us every time. I
could never cut music out of my life because it plays such a major
role in my stress level especially, by allowing me to vent.
Everybody's preference in music type is also going to sway the amount
of persuasion that takes place. Whenever people listen to music that
explains their thoughts, it allows them to connect on a deeper level,
which in turn allows the music to serve as a persuasive tool. By
musicians and producers knowing this, they know exactly what kind of
songs to produce in order to ensure their fans and success rate.
Overall, I would say that music is one of the top forms of persuasion
all over the world. No matter what country or region is being looked
at, there is bound to be some form of music either listened to or
played throughout. I am very thankful that music plays such a major
role in my life, solely due to the fact that it never goes away. This
shows how persuasion is prevalent in music, and has been for
generations now. Artists, songwriters, and producers all know that
with every song produced they are fighting for attention, fans, profit
and even success. By persuading their fans to listen to and follow
them, they people and ensuring their success and survival in the music
industry.
Works Cited
Bostrom, Robert N, Derek R. Lane, and Nancy G. Harrington. (Fall
2002). Music as Persuasion: Creative Mechanisms for Enacting
Academe. Retrieved from
http://www.acjournal.org/holdings/vol6/iss1/special/bostrom.htm.
Jowett, Garth S. and Victoria O'Donnell. (1999). Propaganda and
Persuasion: Third Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications,
Inc.
Various Authors. (2009). Dictionary.com. Random House Publications.
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