What is Genre?

Genre research

There are many music genres and some are traditional and many are being introduced into the music industry in modern day.

There are many variations of each genre which leads to sub-genres and hybrid genres.

Some of the most famous and well known genres are...

• Pop
• Folk
• Country
• Rock and roll
• Metal
• Indie
• R&B
• Rap
• Hip Hop
• Drum and Base

There are many variations which have developed over years, such as...

• Punk rock
• Pop rock
• Indie rock
• Alternative
• Funk rock

There are also new genres which are resurfacing the music industry or just stemming from one unique artist. Such as...

• House
• Garage
• Dub-step
• Electronic Dance Music (EDM)
• Art Punk
• Electropop
• Folk Punk
• Psychedelic 

So, with the massive range of genres within the music industry, each genre, just like film genres, have their own codes and conventions which separate them from each-other in order to appeal to their audience. However, in modern day it is not rare for someone to enjoy multiple genres and people are no longer identified as someone who follows a certain type of music.For example, a decade or so ago, there was invariant stereotypes of people linked to what sort of music they listened to, eg. "Mosher", "Goth", "Hipster". 

These sort of nicknames are what separated the genres from one another, however now there is less stereotype and people can now enjoy multiple genres as opposed to just one. Due to this, the various sub-genres have formed such as the well known 'Indie Rock'; combines genres so people who would typically fall into a category of music genre no longer do. This allows artists to make music however they like without having to stick to typical genre conventions. 

Nowadays, there are a myriad of sub-genres from Electronic Pop, all the way to Psychedelic Rock music; these hybrid genres allow musicians to experiment and explore all types of music whilst also giving the audiences the opportunity to listen to multiple genres of music at once and not be restricted to a certain traditional psychographic or stereotype.