ABSTRACT
The method of content analysis will be used to describe the values communicated by this music, comparing them with those communicated by mainstream popular music. Much has been written about the punks, and a few students of popular music have attempted to analyze their impact on the music world. If alternative music does contain more of the values of social criticism and alienation than mainstream popular music, it will then be possible to define the alternative community as dissatisfied with the status quo and conventional social values. The popular music world is divided into multiple categories which employ similar, if not identical, pop music formats. Theodor Adorno viewed popular music as a "social cement" capable of communicating and maintaining values for its audience. This chapter uses the method of content analysis to determine the extent of social criticism in alternative music. It also examines a variety of other values to measure the extent of alienation.
