A3 Refereed book chapter or chapter in a compilation book
Kraftwerk - the Decline of the Pop Star
Authors: Pertti Grönholm
Editors: Albiez S, Pattie D
Publisher: Continuum
Publication year: 2010
Book title : Kraftwerk. Music Non-Stop
First page : 63
Last page: 79
Number of pages: 17
ISBN: 978-1-4411-6507-7
This chapter will examine Kraftwerk’s relation to pop stardom and star imagery. I shall argue that in the case of Kraftwerk, technology has liberated the artist. From the sound and imagery associated with the band, to their touring schedules and marketing, Kraftwerk have learned how to control not merely over musical production, but over the whole chain of the music business. I argue that Kraftwerk attained its independence by building on their social skills and especially their ability to employ the newest technology and technically skilled people around them. Audio technology and music electronics provided Hütter and Schneider not only tools, but an artistic vision and concept that contrasted with the fundamental ideas of pop stardom, such as the symbiosis of the performer and the instrument. Furthermore, Kraftwerk also created their own particular way of communicating with the audience.