This is one of those "what ifs" which is historically unlikely. If sound recording hadn't been invented would there still be pop music? I think most of us feel that traditional folk music is pretty good; folk music presumably was the pop music of its day (or rather contemporary music as pop implies manufactured, commercial, profit orientated) but has improved over the decades by survival of the fittist: the good continues, the moderate improves and the bad is lost. Without sound recording would we still have "Be Bop A Lula" on the radio and would Martin Carthy be singing "Heartbreak Hotel"? Music certainly wouldn't be local as Jack Elliot would have still brought Woody's music across the Atlantic but would it be a better music world? OK ,we couldn't hear Lead Belly etc to our regret but we can't hear Buddy Bolden either now. So called classical music has its own tradition and has been written down and may be considered "elitist" music rather than people's music so I don't think it counts in this discussion. Dr John