Can Popular music achieve political change.

Popular music will find it exceptionally hard to achieve genuine political change due to the capitalist grasp on society. David Harker argues that it is the record industries drive to make money which forces them to manipulate society into a certain type of music. They have the power to set the markets agenda to decide what people listen to. George Melly points towards the Beatles as an example of this; they were transformed in to "happy rockers" and a very scoially respectable act. Angela McRobbie describes how artists  are geared towards writing lyrics which indicate sexual stereotypes if they wish to make money. This was evident during the rock period of the sixties where men were "big, bad and boastful" and women were just themselves.  Stratton says its a "political and economic ploy to emotionally capture the listener with something they can relate to;" they will therefore feel it is worth investing in.