It used to be - way back in the 1960s - that people had to choose who they wanted to be fans of: the goody-two-shoes Beatles or the rebellious Rolling Stones. One thing was certain, though: Young fans could count on their parents tearing their hair out no matter which they chose.

But by the end of the 70s, everything had gotten more complicated: punk, post-punk, new wave, hip hop. It was hard to wrap one's mind around it all. At the beginning of the 90s, techno, house and a whole slew of electronic dance music had come along as well - stirring up the mix even more and adding pep to the club scene.

But, the big question: Where are we now musically? Just what is the mainstream these days?

Endless specialization

The simplest answer is probably that the mainstream just doesn't exist anymore. The music scene has divided into countless sub-genres, said Klaus Walter, a radio host at Hamburg's ByteFM station.

"Nowadays, you can carve out your entire musical existence by devoting yourself to just one special branch of dubstep or neofolk," Walter explained.

But how does pop culture as a mass phenomenon manifest itself now? There are a few important music fairs and festivals in Germany where trends can be observed. Berlin's Popkomm showcases the latest in the music industry, and festivals like Rock am Ring in western Germany's Eifel region draw hundreds of thousands to a series of outdoor concerts, evoking a bit of Woodstock atmosphere.

No soundtrack for the politically-minded

But this atmosphere has little to do with hippie life or political protest, in contrast to earlier decades.

"I recently read the following sentence: 'Certain gestures are as courageous as a pair of torn-up jeans,'" said Walter. "Questions such as 'how to do I get my music out better?, and 'what can I give away to my fans?' are considered to be political statements."

In such an atmosphere, it's definitely more difficult to make political music than in the 70s, he suggested.

In other words, protest songs are all dried up. The Vietnam War once had its own soundtrack, but not the anti-nuclear movement currently going on after the leaks at Fukushima. The protests surrounding the Stuttgart 21 plan to refab the rail station in the southern German city likewise do not have their own music.

Yet even something as "poppy" as Germany's first Eurovision win in 1982 with Nicole's "Ein bisschen Frieden" ("A Little Peace") had a bit of pacifist flair to it. Singer Nicole is a far cry from the second German to bring home a Grand Prix win: Lena Meyer-Landrut, who took the prize in May, 2010 and is once again representing Germany in the 2011 competition.

There's no question about it: Lena's has devoted herself to that thing called love in her songs. The personal is not political here; pop is purely the business of marketing.

"Lena Meyer-Landrut's success clearly shows how multimedia forces work together and the power that a media enterprise like Stefan Raab's possesses to be able to launch a product like Lena," Walter observed.

'They order German, they get German'

Other German export hits in recent years include the group Tokio Hotel. But there's a wider youth culture at play in the band's success: the "emo" subculture. What started out as "emotional hardcore" in the punk movement of the 1980s has morphed over the years, becoming a confessional Weltschmerz-styled music and behavior in mainstream culture that mesmerizes millions of teens. With their androgynous appearances, Tokio Hotel have a progressive appeal.

The band Rammstein, on the other hand, takes advantage of stereotypes about Germans, whether they're willing to admit it or not.

"Americans want Germans served up in a very particular way," said Christian Neuburger, singer of the rock band Slut. "They order German, they get German - just the way they like them."

It's an attitude that could just as well describe Rammstein's own approach.

Pop culture as an educational mandate

Radio used to be the medium that defined trends and good music - hard to believe in this day and age with music archives available 24/7 with a click of the mouse. It's as easy as going to YouTube for listeners to find everything from Bob Dylan outtakes to the latest Lady Gaga sizzler.

So the age of musical crazes, waves and storehouses just may be over. People who are interested in music seem happy to nestle into their own little niches.

But plurality was always a positive thing, and the German media industry would do well to heed it, said Walter. "Pop culture is mass culture," he pointed out.

"It's the culture we come in contact with every day, whether we like it or not. But it has to be analyzed and understood," he said, adding that public broadcasters have a particular responsibility to investigate pop culture that exists far beyond the mainstream.

Author: Eva Gutensohn / als