Терминология в попмузиката – проблеми, реалности и парадокси
Pop Music Terminology: Problems, Realities and Paradoxes

Summary/Abstract: The article offers a critical view of pop music terminology, databases and the lack of precise differentiation of pop musical styles in Bulgaria on the basis of two researches: one conducted by the Trend Research Centre in 2019 and the second, by South-West University under a project of the Balkans–Europe Regional Research Centre, Bulgarian National Science Fund, led by Assoc. Prof. Maria Serafimova in 2013. The article seeks to ascertain whether the lack of precise terms in musical styles and trends leads to a distortion of the sociological conclusions of the conducted researches. Apart from the paradoxes of Bulgaria’s music scene, this study dwells on such world paradoxes as the 1989 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance given to the British rock band Jethro Tull. The author also considers the interpretations of folk music in Bulgaria along with stereotypes and clichйs in the public mind in regard to what precisely constitutes folk and pop music. The text treats the lack of a formal database of pop music in this country referring to an amateur open-access database created by volunteers. It is a good case in point, but also a starting point for future research into pop music and the underground scene in Bulgaria. In conclusion, the paper offers a critical analysis of certain stereotypes which have established themselves in society: What is classical music - Honegger or Clayderman? What is pop music: thrash metal or disco music? Proceeding from these issues, the author underscores once again that a unified database of Bulgarian pop music needs to be created in order for us to differentiate its styles, understand it better, and specify musical terminology with a greater degree of precision.

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