I think that to some extent music can be unplugged but not as much so in the case of popular music. The development of technology over the last one hundred years has made it very hard for any genre of music to be unplugged. Technology benefits many genres of music and some genres would not be the same without the aid of technology. Such inventions as the amplifier helped with the development of the rock and roll genre and maybe without this particular invention it may not have had such an impact or had such great success.
All technologies in their own way help make music – whether it is an individual singing or a band and make them sound significantly better. Amplification is needed in many genres such as hip hop and dance music as they cannot survive without feedback sound. All these factors contribute to the fact that music can’t really ever be unplugged
In some cases yes popular music can be unplugged but only to some extent. Buskers sing unplugged most of the time, yes this may not seem like popular music but they may sing popular songs which we all know and love. Also tribal music is performed unplugged and this type of music is seen as ‘popular’ music to many.
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Your point about amplification is valid and well made. Without the ability to amplify the electric guitar (and perhaps even more notably the string bass) it is certainly arguable that the Rock and Roll explosion of the 1950s could not have happened. However, whilst vitally important, amplification is only one amongst a host of technological innovations that have been integral to the development of popular music (the microphone, recording technologies, delivery technologies etc.). Also surely your busker playing the guitar is holding a piece of music technology in his hands whether electric or acoustic!
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