History of Pop Music 1950 –

The 1950 witnessed creation of rock ’n’ roll, a genre still popular today. One of the first groups to play this type of music was Bill Haley & His Comets. Founded in 1952, this group introduced the world to rock ’n’ roll. The band successfully earned nine hits in the top twenty, including one number one hit and three more in the top ten. The band was considered revolutionary in its time, its members wearing matching plaid dinner jackets and demonstrating energetic behavior. Arguably the most iconic music figure of the 50s was Elvis Presley. Renowned as ‘The King of Rock ’n’ Roll,' he launched his career in 1954, bringing to the world the rockabilly subgenre (portmanteau of rock and hillbilly). He was adored by the young for his handsome looks and fantastic music, and he brought rock ’n’ roll squarely into the households of the 50’s. He produced over 32 number one hit singles and 18 number one albums during his career.

During the 1960s came the rise of the ‘Motown Record Corporation’, which introduced racial integration to American pop music. This was the first record label to be owned by and primarily feature African American artists. Motown’s first ever Top 10 Hit was in 1960 with ‘Shop Around’ by The Miracles, which peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was also Motown’s first million-selling record. It was in this decade that Bob Dylan led the industry to the beginnings of the music video. His single ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ brought with it one of the first ever music videos, a simple one-shot short video, but considered a revelation in the 1960s. Pop group the Supremes released their album The Supremes A Go-Go in 1966 and were the first all-female group to reach the top spot in the Billboard 200 Album Charts. This album was also produced by Motown Records

The 70s were known for a leap into the rock genre. This decade brought us many of the most famous rock bands of all time, among them Aerosmith (often referred to as "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band"). The band signed a record deal with Columbia Records in 1972, after which they released some of their most memorable songs like Sweet Emotion (1975) which became the band’s first single in the Top 40. Hard Rock is a sub-genre of rock taken to a whole new level by 70s band KISS. The band was famous for their dramatic outfits and highly distinctive face paint. KISS’s fame arose mostly with their outrageous live performances which consisted of spitting blood, breathing fire and even levitating instruments. KISS is still well- known today, their unique style even appearing in the 2008 comedy Role Models. As the 70s went on, the rock genre began to become more associated with the younger generations as they could relate their angst to the aggression shown by these bands in their performances. It was during this time ( ) that Punk Rock emerged

With the 80s came one of the biggest revelations in music to date, MTV (1981). Short for “Music Television”, this channel was created to show music videos, guided by a Video Jockey (or VJ, an on-air host). MTV proved so popular that slogans like “MTV is here” were spoken throughout the public. The Buggles were a New Wave band who are most remembered for their 1979 single ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ which was also MTV’s first video premiere, ironically with the lyrics “pictures came and broke your heart.” The single was Number 1 on the singles chart in 16 different countries. The New Wave genre incorporated aspects like electronica and experimental music. The 80’s also saw to Blondie’s biggest hit ‘Call Me.' It peaked at Number 1 for six weeks, and was certified Gold (for one million copies sold). Blondie was another creator of the New Wave genre, but also became noted for its eclectic mix of musical styles incorporating elements of disco, pop, rap, and reggae

Hard rock, heavy metal, and glam metal experienced extreme popularity in 1980s, becoming one of the most dominant music genres of the decade, peaking with the arrival of such bands as Guns n' Roses and Bon Jovi. The hip hop scene also exploded in the 80s, exhibiting a much stronger influence on the music industry. Run-D.M.C. were one of the most influential groups of this genre during the 80s. They were the first group in their genre to have a Gold record and be nominated for a Grammy, and they were among the first to show how important the MC/DJ relationship was. They were even named the Greatest Hip Hop Group of All Time by MTV.com

By this point in time the 90s saw several diverse genres of music emerge on the scene. Grunge music alongside similar sub-genres peaked in popularity during with the success of bands such as Nirvana. Today the genre is still strongly associated with this decade. U2's groundbreaking Zoo TV and PopMart tours were the top selling tours of 1992 and Britpop, a sub-genre of alternative rock created in the UK, was formed in the 1990s. This sub-genre developed as a reaction against various musical and cultural trends from the early 1990s, especially the US-made grunge. Blur was one of the several groups to launch this movement by referencing British guitar music of the past and writing about uniquely British topics and concerns. This caught on and other bands still famous to date, such as Oasis, joined this trend. Female pop icons such as The Spice Girls managed to break into America, taking the world by storm and becoming the most commercially successful British Group since The Beatles. Their impact brought about a widespread invasion of teen pop acts around the world such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, *N Sync and Backstreet Boys

While *N Sync, Britney Spears, and Sisqo battled Eminem, Nelly, and Limp Bizkit for chart superiority, some of the decade's most significant noise was being made far from studios and concert stages. The controversy over music sharing program Napster began in the 2000s. Creator Shawn Fanning was only 18 when he wrote the source codes that shook the music world. His free, Internet song-swapping service was the hype of downloaders everywhere. Napster came under heavy legal fire during this year from the five giants of the recording industry—Warner Brothers, EMI, Sony, BMG, and Universal—who sued to shut down the service, citing alleged copyright infringement. Eminem has often been described as vile, violent, insensitive, misogynistic, and offensive, but his ability to throw down rhymes that outraged nearly everyone helped The Marshall Mathers LP rack up massive sales throughout Britney Spears became a prominent figure in mainstream popular music and popular culture during the 2000s. Her first two albums established her as a pop icon and broke sales records, while title tracks "...Baby One More Time" and "Oops!... I Did It Again" became international number- one hits

During this decade the world saw a complete change in the way music is shared. There is now a heavier outside influence on the songs that we purchase, an example of this being the influence of Facebook, YouTube and other media sharing websites. Another example of this is with many of the most popular songs of 2009 re- entering the Top 40 in early 2010 due to the iTunes gift card effect, including Lady Gaga's "Poker Face", the biggest seller of 2009, which re-entered at No. 32. Although the predominant musical styles of this current decade are still being determined, a radio-friendly mix of R&B-influenced pop, Country Pop, and Alternative Rock— from artists like Maroon 5, Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Panic! At the Disco and Green Day— seems to demonstrate a greater variety to the definition of “popular music” than at any other time in the last sixty years