by Kenny L. Mitchell

Created on: October 24, 2009   Last Updated: October 28, 2009

"Stick a needle in your arm. Slash, thrill, lie, kill. Whatever. The muse is dead. So are we!" Do those lyrics sound familiar to you? Probably not, but your teen has listened to them in some form or another since the adage of music. The anti-establishment of acid rock, the sheer rebellion of rap music, or the wholesome prepackaged sweetness of Disney's pop catalog are all simple facets and outlets to your teen's personality and lifestyle. The selection of their music is as influential and descriptive as a pair of acid wash, ripped jeans or a pair of Mary Jane platform shoes.

It should be noted that like any industrial business, music is simply supply and demand. They are the filtering system from which musicians send their methodical music and ply their well crafted wares. The music industry has always managed to diversify itself into the multi-billion dollar empire that will invariably contort, control and submerse its consumer's ability to accept, or reject the rules of its fan base. To put it in layman's terms, if you're in the market of buying, they are in the market for selling.

The media has found new and more surreptitious venues for selling their product in today's society. For instance, once the bane of all music industries existence, simple downloading is making searching and recording music a simple process. Simply click (PAY) and download the music you want right to your computer. The process is made even more easier because the consumer doesn't have to leave the privacy of their own home. The music industry can also use the Internet to overwhelm the consumer in ads, message boards and other milieu to influence their dress, diet, and even their own ideology.

Of course there is no shortage for options in terms of music. The company that diversifies itself is always the one who has the most opportunity to success. MTV (Music Television) was originally known for playing rock music with mostly white male rockers (with bad coiffed hair), with the success of videos by Michael Jackson, Madonna and Prince, the color and gender lines were broken. This diversified playing field allowed the music industry to capitalize on the artists as well as their ravenous fan base.

Whether our children are playing hard rock, acid, garage band, rap, country, soul or even...ska, it must be accepted as part of their intellectual and cultural environment. As long as there are those who would rock our world and sell us their tee shirts and latest MP3 hit, there will always be the industrial conglomerate of big business sitting nefariously in the back ground expecting their cut of the profit.

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