volume 2
january 2000

Some writings of Adorno

A sample of Adorno's ideas on the culture industry and popular music

The theories and opinions of the German philosopher Theodor Wiesengrund Adorno (1903-1969) on popular music and the culture industry are still highly influential in the domain of media studies. His thoughts about these subjects were very critical, pessimistic even. Adorno analysed the workings of the culture industry in terms of "standardization" and used the concept of "pseudo-individualization" to describe its effects on the listeners. To understand what he meant by these qualifications, the best you can do is to read his own writings. Here below you'll find links to some of these: On popular music, The culture industry, and The culture industry reconsidered.

On popular music

by Theodor W. Adorno
and George Simpson (1941)

The culture industry.
Enlightment as mass deception

by Theodor W. Adorno
and Max Horkheimer (1947)

Culture industry reconsidered

by Theodor W. Adorno (1975)