Table of Contents
Issue #1 as well as supplement added at the end.
Communication Research Trends:
Youth and Rock Music
vol. 5 no. 1 1984
Research Trends in Religious Communication:
Youth, Evangelization and the Media
vol. 5 no. 1 1984
Abstract
In 1954 the nineteen-year-old Elvis Presley suddenly caught the enthusiasm of millions of teenagers with a new form of pop music called rock 'n' roll. Five years later, sociologist James Coleman, in a massive survey of American adolescents, confirmed that pop music - especially rock 'n' roll - was the major form of entertainment of young people. Research continues to show that around the world teenage interest in rock music influences the television programmes they watch, the magazines they read, the cafes, youth clubs and dances they go to, and the 'necessary tools' they seek to own (transistor radios, record players, tape recorders, guitars). Even home entertainment means largely music making or listening to music. Today, pop music accounts for about 85-90 percent of record sales, and 75 percent of pop sales are to 12-20 years olds.
In the popular imagination and in much youth research, rock music is considered a major influence on the values of young people and the symbol of the new youth cultures. Some see these youth cultures as a threat to traditional values; others see them as ushering in an Age of Aquarius. Another major question is whether the music industry is manipulating youth and destroying local, spontaneous music traditions.
This issue reviews research on the pop music industry, how teenagers use pop music and how pop music influences youth cultures in various parts of the world.
Recommended Citation
(1984)
"Youth and Rock Music,"
Communication Research Trends: Vol. 5:
No.
1, Article 1.
Available at:
https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/crt/vol5/iss1/1
