ABSTRACT
This chapter continues the theme of mediation, examining the relationship of popular music production, dissemination and consumption to an historical succession of audiovisual media: film and television, music video and MTV, video games. With film, my focus is on commercial feature film and popular music, primarily the popular/rock musicals that followed in the footsteps of classic Hollywood musicals. With television, I am interested in the impact of the new medium on the impact of rock ‘n’ roll and the subsequent role of mainstream television music shows, including those that are a form of reality television (S Club 7; Idol). Both film and television have screened popular music documentaries, biopics, validating and mythologizing particular performers, styles and historical moments. Music video and MTV illustrate, once again, the global reach of the music industry and the synergy between music, marketing and audiences. Video gaming represents an increasingly important contemporary site for the production and consumption of popular music. Currently, YouTube has enabled access to a wide range of music in all its previous audiovisual forms.
