popCULTmedia is a popular culture dimension of MediaChannel. It fundamentally shares the same mission as MediaChannel but will range into other territory.

Popular culture is a dance between the creators of popular arts and the audience that receives it. And every artist is an audience for other artists' work. However, more and more, that dance is manipulated by the commercial interests of a rapidly shrinking number of global media conglomerates. The goal of corporate media is to decide who brings whom to the dance and what music we will dance to. Media conglomerates exist to profit from the sale of units of product. They are not in the creative arts field, the moral / intellectual uplift field or the political awareness field. And that’s ok. But a serious problem arises when a small cartel controls the means of production and distribution of a vast culture. This soon leads to control over the content of creative works.

When creative expression is reduced to a commercial enterprise, the cartel defines the audience. The artist plays to the audience's preconceptions. The audience knows what to expect. Then the dance becomes a stagnant closed loop of services rendered. The lure of fame and riches has the effect of perverting the goals of artists from creative discovery and expression to pandering and posing. It robs the world’s people of messages and insights that nurture the human instinct to grow, feel and be fully alive on a planet that is shrouded in mystery, joy and terror.

Art that glorifies the greatness of God and heads of state are the only expression permitted in many police states. Art that says “Oh baby, be mine” or “Make my day” is virtually the only expression that reaches the vast majority in a cultural environment that is arbitrated by commercial interests. This is how "content providers" define us and our needs. And sometimes we don't know it or get it.

popCULTmedia is here to explore creative culture through those issues. We won't be offering celebrity news or reviews of the big hits. We want to cast a light on the popular arts as they impact and are impacted by the media itself. popCULTmedia doesn’t ask, “What’s hot?” It asks, “Can the artist and the audience develop their own relationship in a free society?” “What compensation does the artist deserve for his work and who owns the work created by the artist?” "Can an artist reach an audience without conforming to 'commercially viable' physical, ethnic and subcultural stereotypes?" “What channels are available to nurture a free exchange of creative expression?”

We are all, in part, artist, critic and audience; touched by art, and contaminated and/or enlightened by the ways art is mediated by media. Since 9/11/01 our world has become a more serious place. We can't afford to be dancing to market-tested beats. Join us and let's create our own.

popCULTmedia is not a cult in itself or for itself. As Bob Marley sang, "Them that feels it, knows it."

Feel it. Know it. Engage it.

Polar Levine
Editor