Can Pop be Prog?

pop music
     n : music of general appeal to teenagers; a bland watered-down
         version of rock'n'roll with more rhythm and harmony and
         an emphasis on romantic love [syn: pop]

http://dict.die.net/pop%20music/

Characteristics as a Sub-Genre
 
Pop "is designed to appeal to everyone" and "doesn't come from any 
particular place or mark off any particular taste." 
 
In musical terms, it is essentially "conservative" in that it attempts to resonate 
with a large segment of its target demographic rather than pushing artistic 
boundaries. 
 
It is "provided from on high (by record companies, radio programmers and 
concert promoters) rather than being made from below..." 
(Frith 2001, p.95-96). 
 
But over time, pop has gone from "popular in general" to "a genre" consisting 
of unchallenging, catchy songs, usually lasting between three and four minutes. 
 
A pop song can take its sound from many different genres, but current pop 
songs usually consist of sounds from hip hop, dance and soft rock or ballads.
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_music
 
 
Music Accessible To the Widest Audience

Since the mid-1950's pop music has usually been identified as the music and the musical styles that are accessible to the widest audience. This means the music that sells the most copies, draws the largest concert audiences, and is played most often on the radio. After Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock" hit #1 on music charts in 1955 the most popular music became the records influenced by rock 'n roll instead of the songs and light standards that had dominated TV's Your Hit Parade weekly countdown show. Since 1955 the music that appeals to the widest audience, or pop music, has been dominated by sounds that are still rooted in basic elements of rock 'n roll.