Culture Industry Theory

Adorno and Horkheimer adopted the term 'culture industry' to argue that the way in which cultural items were produced was analogous to how other industries manufactured vast quantities of consumer goods. It suggests that current popular culture through many different means of media is extremely similar to a factory assembly line model, where everything made is so similar those who consume it do because of their passive behaviour they've learnt, it is something that they recognise therefore they are going to pick it up. Everything that is made is very synthetic and is made with planned methods.

There is nothing spontaneous about cultural production. Songs that are enjoyed by a mass audience are often said to follow the same repetitive sequences  which will mindlessly encourage a purchase. A good example of this is Justin Bieber, who over the years has had many chart hit songs and are often noted for being quite catchy. The same style of music Justin has produced has encouraged people to buy into his songs for many years. Adorno and Horkheimer linked the idea of the culture industry to a model of 'mass culture' in which cultural production  had become a routine, standardised repetitive operation that produced under demanding cultural commodities which in turn resulted in a type of consumption that was also standardised, distracted and passive. Adorno and Horkheimer were criticised for their theory as they were degrading mass taste due to their elitist outlook.

An artist who may not fit Adorno and Horkheimer's theory is Bjork. Bjork is an artist who has been accredited over the years for producing very experimental and art pop style music. Bjork has never fit into a certain genre and couldn't be for the masses because of how much she experiments. 

STANDARDIZATION

Adorno noted that songs which became successful over time often refer to as 'standards', a category that clearly drew attention to their formulaic character. The argument her is that there is nothing spontaneous about the process of cultural production: it has become a routine operation that can be carried out in an office by the application of specific formulae.

PSEUDO INDIVIDUALITY

A mass audience will reject anything that doesn't feel similar, which is why the pseudo individuality is a vital part. Critically acclaimed products that cause a commodity are often said to be "original", but however have very small modifications to them that make them appear as if they do stand out. A good example of this is Ed Sheeran, who may only stand out because he is not typically attractive despite making extremely popular music. They evoked the image of the 'lock and key' - an item that is mass produced in millions, whose uniqueness lies in only very minor modifications.