The Impact of Technology on Music in the 20th Century

Matthew Hugenschmidt LBST 3020-090 Final Paper For centuries man has sought pleasure by dint of medicament and visual arts. Until the depart 100 years or so that required someone to go see a live accomplishment, ein truth topical anaestheticly or possibly to a tumescentr metropolis with project halls and theaters. The scientific advances experienced in the last century have allowed the pairing of the audio and visual media for the masses, and have permit them spread much further than their local roots and tiltd their influence on society.though essentially per configurationing the aforesaid(prenominal) function, they have gone from merely allowing an escape from daily life for rattling limited audiences to affecting Ameri hindquarters societys values, view of its hold culture, and consumerism. With the advent of the gramophone in 1901 people were able to listen to medicine inside their birth homes, as well as were able to heart and soulive transport symphony from one atomic number 18a to a nonher. (Savage 115) It was these earliest saves brought with the American troops, or doughboys, in WWI that brought jazz, blues, and other American medicineal styles to Europe.These recordings would heavily influence the avatar of the European musical beautify afterwardward the war, and overly increase the overseas demand for American culture and style. The music and associated dances were completely rising to Europeans, and combine with the care free attitude of the Americans it showed what was seen as a hopeful flair of life that had all scarce been forgotten in the war pillaged continent. This craving for American culture would have a large heart on the coming European generations, and would help steer the musical get over for the bands that sorcererted the British Invasion.Almost simultaneously, nickelodeons started to become club sodaular in urban areas of the United States. Named after their admission price, a nickel, these places showed short motion demonstrates and were unremarkably located in working descriptor districts. (es dividement. com) Since the movies of the conviction were silent, the theaters usually had a piano or organ to provide music for the flick. This was the rootage time there was a mass media distribution that allowd both audio and visual components, though the music free reined varied a bit from theater to theater. As movie technology improved nickelodeons soon ecame out of date, but they located the ground work for audio and visual pairings in mass media. The draw near of national piano tuner broadcasts in the United States would play a gigantic part in the spread of music around the country. When the national broadcasts went to cause channel, it signa take the rise of workweekly radio shows that became bill nationwide. Because of the limited variety of scheduling at the time, these programs had a very large audience base. One of these radio shows was Ozzie and Harriet, a family oriented radio show that was based on Ozzie and Harriet Nel countersigns family.The show was quite usual on the radio since it portrayed the everyday stereotypical white suburban family. The major(ip) leap came when idiot box became the new medium of choice. In 1957 Ozzie and Harriet moved from radio to goggle box, and by this point their son Ricky had also become an integral part of the show. This was during the very beginnings of shake off & Roll, and Ozzie precept an opportunity to cross market his son as both an fraud and a singer. At the time the genre was represented primarily by figures uniform Elvis and Chuck pick who were by considered risque by the elder suburban white polishulation.Ricky Nelson was marketed as a wholesome ersatz singing the same style of music, thereby appealing to both the young and their parents. This was a major step in defining stars in pop culture since it cemented that the performers image could be more important than their musical might and gave rise to the teen idol culture. Concurrently, since the national broadcasters had begun to focus on television, the local radio stations no monthlong had time occupied retransmitting the major station broadcasts. Because of this they set in motion it necessary to diversify their offerings to fill the time slots.This allowed them to append more to their local audience and what they wanted to hear. This heralded the rise of the saucer jockey, and because the radio signals reached beyond the immediate locale it broadened the fan base for legion(predicate) musical styles. Programs same(p) Red Hot and Blue in Memphis started compete some more alternative styles, and when it was realise that there was a large demand for this music they became important for the stations and their advertisers. (Miller 35) These shows would play what they pitched as new and hot tracks, thereby pushing their listeners in the directions they wanted.The individual that would check this to the future(a) step was Dick Clark with American Bandstand. He very triumphfully took what these radio shows were doing and applied it to national television. By carefully selecting the performing creative persons and the kids terpsichore to the music, he cultivated a very tame and innocent asynchronous transfer mode for the show. This was integral in changing the image of Rock & Roll and its cognition by the older generation, and though there had been variety shows for a good number of years, it was the first television show to completely focus on music and giving it a visual component.American Bandstand would go on to be one of the longest running series in television hi grade. Also in the mid-1950s movie industry was becoming more popular than it had ever been, and this was due largely to the trickle down of the post founding War II economic inflate. Many teens had part time jobs doing functions like delivering papers or running errands, and others were given an allow ance by their parents. Because they had no bills to pay, all of the income for this demographic was disposable income. This led to almost all of their notes organism spent on entertainment.This started in the early 1900s with the nickelodeons, and so progressed as the movie industry expanded and technology progressed to allow longer films and include audio. When the movie Blackboard Jungle was released in 1955 it brought out a very interesting revelation. The Bill Haley and His Comets song (Were Gonna) Rock Around the measure was played over the opening credits, and though it had been released the year before it had not fared well at all on the charts. As soon as it was featured in the movie it immediately shot to the top of the charts, where it remained for octonary weeks. Covach 78) Alan Freed, a New York City DJ, immediately saw an opportunity and began make movies such(prenominal) as Rock Around the Clock, Rock Rock Rock, and Mr. Rock and Roll. These movies had very little in the way of plot or story line, but focused on promoting some of the hottest musical acts of the time, including Chuck Berry and Little Richard. They also served to further the career of several new artists such as Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. (Covach 84) This would mark the beginning of cross merchandising musical stars into movies.The person who is most responsible for the cross genre bridge between music and visual media was Elvis. His start was a humble one, beginning with him paying for his own recording at Sun Records. Sam Phillips thought the he comprehend something special and signed him. For the first year and a half that after his first Sun recordings, Elvis was primarily known in the atomic number 16 and was relegated to the country charts. It wasnt until Phillips sold his contract to RCA that Elvis began getting television appearances, starting with Stage Show. Covach 85) The show had poor ratings, but within week of his start there he had become a national phe nomenon. This led to his appearances on the Milton Berle show, the Steve Allen show, and culminating in the Ed Sullivan show. With his good looks, sex appeal, and exciting performance style, his television performances rapidly cast him onto the national stage. (Covach 84) This meteoric rise would unendingly cement the link between image and popularity, and also add to the rags to wealth dream which has always been prevalent in lower and middle class households.Once Freeds movies started coming out and doing well, RCA was quick to pitch their new star as an actor as well, though more as a feature with hip music in it rather than a sort of American Bandstand movie. The movies Elvis did, such as Jailhouse Rock, fared correctly well at the box office, and usually had a single by the same name released concurrently, which in turn became a hit. The companies behind the scenes had realized that by doing this they could have their star produce multiple revenue streams for them. This would hand to a slew of movies following the same formula, especially beach movies with surfboard music.These movies would prove to be very influential to the images of bands and individual singers for years to come. The next level of combining visual arts and music came in the form of marketing for a band, manifested as The Beatles A Hard Days Night. This movie departed from the Elvis style fictional motion picture that just included songs by the featured artists, which were pretty much standard at the time. Rather, this film portrayed The Beatles roughly as their lives actually were. though exaggerated, they used The Beatles playing themselves showing their daily lives.The use of irony and chaff were prevalent by dint ofout the movie, which makes it an entertaining comedy. Even so, the viewer gets the sense that they are connected to the band and has gotten to know them on a personal level, and they could easily be someone down the street. One of the common themes throughout the f ilm is the managers futile attempts at controlling the band members. Whenever he tells the band they need to do something like reply to fan situation or stay in the dressing room the first thing that is done is the opposite.Though the band members are always going against what they are being told to do, they always come through to fulfill their responsibilities, usually at the last possible moment. This appealed to both the youthfulness who appreciated the free spiritedness The Beatles exhibited as well as the adults who cared about the example it set of fulfilling business, thereby successfully cross marketing the band to both demographics. All of these events were heavily intertwined with the boom in consumerism in the 1950s and 60s. In an era of excess, the image of success is what was being sold.The idea of the suburban house with two cars and modern creature comforts was what the older generation who still remembered the depression was being pushed towards. With the surplus of disposable income in the post WWII economic boom, Americans began replacing items rather than fixing them, which let almost all products to be disposable. This attitude carried over to entertainment as well. Because of the short attention span of the general public it was no longer enough to just make good music. The image of the artist and how they were marketed became in some cases more important than the music itself.Rock & Roll was integral in the gaucherie of Americas values in 1950s to mid-sixties towards the liberal side, starting with the youth. The music and the image it portrayed meant disparate things to different people, usually split by generation, but the successful visual marketing done by some key players helped change the image and give way the transition to allow the older generation to become more centripetal to the cultural changes. The liberalization of music and image that started in the 60s would grow by leaps and bounds in the 70s.Artists began to take the alter ego route started by the Beatles with Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band and stepped it up a notch. One of the most notable examples of this was Alice Cooper. Alice Coopers blend in singer, Vincent Furnier, had noticed that most rock stars of the day were portrayed as heroes, but there were few rock villains. He created the persona of Alice Cooper as such a villain and also dressed in shattered womens clothes to add more social arguing. The biggest break and controversy that really launched the band was the infamous Chicken Incident, where at a show a chicken somehow make its way on stage.Thinking chickens could fly Alice Cooper threw the chicken into the air above the audience thought process it would fly away. Unfortunately, the chicken fell into the audience where it was torn apart. This turned into a story of him biting the head off the chicken and drinking its blood, which made national headlines. As had been learned with Elvis, the only bad press is no press, a nd this rang true for Alice Cooper as well. Following this, their performances were known for being dangerous, dark, and irreverent. (Covach 344) These shows usually ended with some sort of gruesome death for Alice, frequently kill or electric chair.This goes to show how important and image and show could be to the career of a band. The next major increment in visual and music pairing was MTV. This would go on to change the course of pop music and culture from its inception in 1981 all the way through the present day. MTV was modeled after Top 40 radio, focusing on the most popular artists at the time. In the early days they found that their most successful market was mainly the Midwest, so they focused on playing the mainstream rock artists that were usually white as well.At the same time most television sets were shot on shoestring budgets since scores werent convinced that music videos would pay off in additional sales. (Covach 451) The view of music videos would change with Michael Jackson. In 1983 Billie Jean was rising in the pop charts, but MTV refused to play the video, presumably because it was thought it wouldnt appeal to their target audience. After a great deal of pressure from Jacksons label MTV conceded, and the video became very successful. This brought a significant rise in popularity to both the meshing and artist, and that in turn showed the labels the importance of music videos.After that, videos were major undertakings with major label backing and significant repercussions. It was found that even if the music wasnt good, if the artist looked good in the video then they could be successful. This really is a continuation of the teen idol phase of the late 1950s, just interpreted to the next level and across a broader range of styles, which still continues today. Though MTV had become more popular and mainstream, it also had the double edged effect of negative media attention for the content of the videos it played.Applying images to mus ic that was said to be a help to the devil (Gilmore 263) would bring further scrutiny to the content of the music itself. Though rap music was already under attack from the media and PMRC (Parents euphony Resource Commission), videos like that of N. W. A. would further widen the gap. The most important technological advancement of the last 20 years or so is the development of the mesh. This one creation has done more to connect the globe and manage information than anything else in the history of man. The amount of information that is readily uncommitted o anyone with an internet connection is almost incomprehensible. This sharing of information has also had a drastic effect on the music industry and artists. harmonise to Brian Hiatt and Evan Serpick the Internet appears to be the most consequential technology shift for selling music since the 1920s. (Hiatt & Serpick) Because of the internet, anyone with a microphone or video camera and internet access can publish their music. With the advent of some computer programs like Pro-Tools there isnt even a need for musicianship. This has greatly changed the landscape for artists and how music is viewed socially.Until an artist becomes successful enough for corporations to heavily invest in, the responsibility for creating an image and fan base has largely moved from the label to the artists themselves. No longer does the label sign a band, make a record, and then produce a formulaic video to try to garner interest. nurse Arctic Monkeys for example. Their debut album Whatever people Say I Am, Thats What Im Not released in 2006 became the fastest selling debut album in British music history. (NME) They did this by recording early demos and giving them away on burned CDs at shows.In the digital age, these songs were immediately shared on the internet as well by their fans, which greatly broadened their popularity. Once their popularity was recognized, they were signed and had a huge debut album. This shows the s hift in landscape and how the sharing of information and files on the internet can impact such a major industry. Works Cited Covach, John. Whats That Sound? An foundation to Rock and Its History. New York W. W. Norton Company, 2009. Essortment. com. The Nickelodeons History. http//www. essortment. com/nickelodeons-history-21268. html. Gilmore, Mikal.Night Beat a Shadow History of Rock Roll. New York Anchor Books, 1998. Hiatt, Brian and Evan Serpick. The Record industriousnesss Decline. Rolling Stone 19 June 2007 n. pag. Web. Miller, James. Flowers In the trash can The Rise of Rock n Roll 1947-1977. New York Fireside, 1999. NME. com. Susan Boyle beats Leona Lewis, Arctic Monkeys to biggest first week sales for UK debut album title. http//www. nme. com/news/various-artists/48619 Samuels, David. only when Love Can Break Your Heart. New York W. W. Norton & Company, 2008. Savage, Jon. Teenage the prehistory of youth culture 1875-1945. New York Penguin Books, 2007.