The McDonaldization of Contemporary Western Popular Music

Over the last half century, contemporary western music has undergone a distinct and undeniable evolution. Specifically, pitch vocabulary and pitch transitions have diminished, the timbral palette has become homogenized, and... [ view full abstract ]

Over the last half century, contemporary western music has undergone a distinct and undeniable evolution. Specifically, pitch vocabulary and pitch transitions have diminished, the timbral palette has become homogenized, and the volume has steadily increased. This paper extend George Ritzer’s McDonaldization of Society theory to explain the changes in these musical elements. Examination of the aspects of Ritzer’s theory, efficiency, predictability, calculability and control, allows us to understand that musical tastes have changed over the past from a market driven perspective. To illustrate the theory’s explanatory power we then apply the theoretical model to the wildly popular Korean pop-hit Gangnam Style. Finally, managerial implications and avenues for future research are discussed.