Research - Genre

A genre can be defined as "A category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter." Source

Specifically "A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music." Source

The Art/ Popular/Traditional Distinction

This is a distinction of music that Phillip Tagg calls a "axiomatic triangle consisting of 'folk', 'art' and 'popular' musics." They each have a certain criteria.

Art Music [Source]

Art music refers to classical traditions including contemporary as well as historical classical music forms these focus on formal styles, invite technical and detailed deconstruction and criticism, and demand focused attention from the listener. "Art music is generally instrumental, and when vocals are present they have very explicit poetic, political, or religious overtones."

Popular Music [Source]

The usual representation of "popular music" is music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and are disseminated by one or more of the mass media.

Musicologist and specialist in popular music Philip Tagg defined the notion in the light of sociocultural and economical aspects:

"Popular music, unlike art music, is conceived for mass distribution to large and often socioculturally heterogeneous groups of listeners, stored and distributed in non-written form, only possible in an industrial monetary economy where it becomes a commodity and in capitalist societies,subject to the laws of 'free' enterprise, according to which it should ideally sell as much as possible of as little as possible to as many as possible"

Maroon 5 would be an example of Popular Music

Traditional Music [Source]

Traditional music is the modern name for what used to be called "folk music", before the term "folk music" was expanded to include a lot of non-traditional material. The defining characteristics of traditional music are:

• Oral transmission: The music is passed down, or learned, through singing and listening and sometimes dancing
• Cultural basis: The music derives from and is part of the traditions of a particular region or culture.

A traditional Irish band.

Modern Music Genres

There are a lot more genres now as there are so many different artists and performers that need to be broken into categories. Here are just a few modern genres:

• Pop

Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented towards a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes. [Source]

• Rock/Indie

Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others. Originally used to describe record labels, the term became associated with the music they produced and was initially used interchangeably with alternative rock. As grunge and punk revival bands in the US, and then Britpop bands in the UK, broke into the mainstream in the 1990s, it came to be used to identify those acts that retained an outsider and underground perspective. [Source]

• Electronica/Dance

Electronic dance music (EDM) is electronic music that is produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment. The music is largely created for use by disc jockeys and is produced with the intention of it being heard in the context of a continuous DJ set; wherein the DJ progresses from one record to the next via a synchronized segue or "mix". [Source]

• Rap/Hip Hop

Hip hop music is an American musical genre that developed as part of hip hop culture, which is defined by four key stylistic elements: MCing/rapping, DJing/scratching, breaking/dancing and graffiti writing. Other elements include sampling (or synthesis), and beatboxing. The term rap music is often used synonymously with the term hip hop music, but rap vocals are not required for music to be considered "hip hop". [Source]

I think that the band I have chosen for my music video, The 99s would fit into the Indie and Country genres of music, which is quite popular at the moment. Bands like Mumford and Sons fit into this category too and they have become very popular in 2010/2011.

<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F9341816"></param> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param> <embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F9341816" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object>  <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/craigadampowell/mumford-and-sons-the-cave">Mumford And Sons - The Cave</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/craigadampowell">CraigPowell</a></span>