Week 2: What are the strengths and Weaknesses of petersons Production of Culture approach to the birth of Rock and Roll?

There are many strengths and Weaknesses of Petersons theory. The strengths are that it clearly defines 6 key points which go some way to explaining why the birth of Rock and Roll happened when it did. The points are easy to understand and describe how in terms of economical, market and technological factors Rock and Roll came about. However what Peterson doesn’t do is explain why the generation of teenagers at the time chose to listen to Rock and Roll music, instead of some other genre and why its popularity exploded. He instead took advantage of changing conditions, and addresses industrial and commercial reasons. Some arguments against his technical reasons would be comments from early British Rock and Roll stars, such as Cliff Richard who said that the first time they heard Elvis, it changed their lives. It is this powerful feeling that took over the Rock and Roll generation that Peterson failed to address. He didn’t take into account the fact that many of the teenagers used Rock and Roll as a way to rebel against the previous more conservative generations. In conclusion, his factors do explain why technically rock and roll came about, however he doesn’t capture the way in which rock and roll moved and influenced the Rock and Roll generation.