I do not believe that either of these assessments can ever truly be 100% correct. Adorno argued that all popular music is standardized - a mass-produced commodity. He stated that all popular music involves ‘part interchangeabilty’. ‘Part interchangeabilty’ refers to the way in which different parts of popular songs can be taken and put into other songs and therefore there is no uniqueness to any song.
However, some people may argue that any song that has been written by a person will contain some of that person's creativity - and I believe any expression of creativity can be considered art. Indeed Gendron argued that, although popular music is mass produced, you cannot mass produce one man's single moment of inspiration.
Adorno compares popular music to what he classes as ‘serious’ (classical) music. Again, here his theory focuses solely on what he believes is 'good' music. He would not class a Beatles song or the winner of the X Factor's song as artistic in anyway - but many do. Music as an art form is just like any other form of art - forever subjective.
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This is quite good although the theorist to whom you refer is called Gendron and your final paragraph is a little on the waffly side (surely no one would consider Simon Cowell's little marionettes art :-)
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