How the Drop Changed Pop: The Influence of Dubstep in Modern Pop Song Form and Production

Around 2011, the electronic music genre referred to as “dubstep” began to influence American pop music. This paper argues that as a result, pop music song arrangements have shifted to include instrumental focal points which replace the traditional chorus. This paper will trace the effect of dubstep through an examination of Billboard’s pop music charts over an eight-year period, analyzing song form trends that support this argument. Additionally, this paper will recognize certain production techniques in pop music, tracing their evolution back to dubstep’s initial impact on the charts. Further consideration will be given to the future direction of pop song form and production as a result of this influence.