Simon Webster Frith (born 1946) is a British sociomusicologist and rock critic who specializes in popular music culture. He is professor emeritus of Music at the University of Edinburgh. Frith has written a number of sociological analyses of popular music, including ''The Sociology of Rock'' (1978) and ''Performing Rites: On the value of popular music'' (1996). Frith was the chair of the Mercury Prize from its inception in 1992 until his resignation in 2016.
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