So empty without me. Intermediality, intertextuality and non musical factors in the evaluation of music videos: the (not so) strange case of Eminem and MTv

This paper deals with the role of media in diffusing music, focusing particularly on music videos and Eminem’s Without Me. It will try to demonstrate that, with the ever growing role of media in imposing artists characterized by a good look or ability to impose their figure through controversies, we can say that music is no longer evaluated or judged by following “traditional” critical terms that rely on music itself. The aesthetic concerns of pop music texts now focus mainly on the co-textual, para-textual and external elements of the song, that appear with all their impact force especially in music videos such as Without Me. These essay is divided in four parts. In the first, the essay will attempt to define what “pop music” is. This term must not to be considered as a synonym for “popular music”, but as a specific branch in this field. Pop music is an intermedial and intertextual phenomenon defined by its position in the contemporary mediascape. The second part briefly outlines the six nodes that create a web through which pop music is diffused: the recorded song, the performance, the musical press, radio, traditional visual media, and new media. Thirdly, there will be a discussion about how the media evaluate pop music in non-musical terms, focusing particularly on music videos, MTV and video music channels. In the last part, a particular text is considered (Eminem’s music video Without me) to show that, no matter how good or bad, in visual media image and performance prevail over music.