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Mention 'Pop Music' to someone, and for most people, the image of Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson or Justin Timberlake spring to mind. But Pop music is so much more than the manufacturing of successful media machines.

'Pop' music stands for 'Popular' and so encompasses a huge variety of musical genres, based on what is popular at the time. This can see everyone from Alternative through to Rock artists taking their place on the Pop charts. Originally categorized as pop, before being renamed Rock 'n' Roll, Elvis is the first big name attributed to the Pop category, beginning Pop's music history in the 1950's. Throughout the 1960's, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys and The Rolling Stones all made a huge name for themselves, and still have a massive fan base. In the 1970's, disco music became part of the Pop scene, most notably with the Bee Gees at the forefront.

1981 saw the introduction of MTV, and had a massive impact on the music industry across the board. Now as well as producing good music, music video's also had to be recorded. These music clips became as important as the music, and sometimes more so.

Along with MTV, the 1980's also saw the biggest ever selling Pop album enter the charts Michael Jackson's Thriller. Despite speculation about his character and private life, musically, he is a major success.

Prince, Madonna, Blur, Oasis and the Spice Girls also have a place in the history of Pop. Current artists include a large selection of artists that can also be placed into the R&B music area Eminem, Beyonce Knowles and Alicia Keys.

As a generalization, successful Pop music tends to be music you can sing along, something boppy, something that makes you feel good. Sure, it's sometimes sappy, or clichd, but who doesn't wish that they didn't inhabit a perfect world, rather than the imperfect one in which we actually do live?

It is not only the music itself that sparks fans' interest. Pop artists are notorious for their run ins with the law and often have a multitude of personal problems which are laid bare for the world to scrutinize. A study undertaken by the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health found that Pop stars were twice as likely to die an early death when compared to the rest of the population. Between the years of 1956 to 2005, 100 pop stars have died, with drugs and alchol addictions being a large contributor to those deaths.

Today's media darling, for all the wrong reasons, is Britney Spears, with her disastrous love life, questionable child rearing skills, her clothing (or lack of) and her partying ways. In previous years Led Zeppelin, brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher from Oasis, and Robbie Williams have all had their time in the limelight, for various reasons.

Pop music continues to thrive, in part due to Pop artists' indiscretions, because these imperfections make the stars human, real, and not merely someone singing a song and giving a performance.

Both groups and solo artists do well, though trends over time seem to see solo artists do slightly better, with between a 55 60% share of the market.

Artists who are enjoying success on the singles Pop charts at the moment include Alicia Keys, 50 cent, Maroon 5 and Pink. Artists with albums in the top 100 include Alicia Keys, the Eagles, Justin Timberlake and Nickelback.

As Pop music is a variety of so many styles, it tends to move in a cycle. Currently, remakes of old songs are hot, though of course new material is being recorded as well. Rap and Rock is doing well at the moment, and is likely to continue to do so until it's time for the circle to turn again, back to slightly smoother sounds.

Learn more about this author, Kris Zelunka.
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