The Evolution of the Recording Industry: From Vinyl to Digital

1. Mass Communication Living in a Media World Ralph Hanson West Virginia University – Morgantown Slide 1

2. Chapter 7 The Recording Industry: Music Everywhere Profile: Michael Nesmith The Birth of the Recording Industry Rock and Roll and the Integration of Music Youth Culture and the Recording Industry ChapterOutline

3. Profile: Michael Nesmith • One of Monkees, the first manufactured rock band (1965) • Did promotional film for record Rio • Used inheritance to produce Elephant Parts, winner of first video Grammy • Created 56 episodes of Popclips for Nickelodeon channel, which became the model for MTV channel in 1981

4. The Birth of the Recording Industry • Storing Musical Performance • Thomas Edison invents phonograph (1877) • Emile Berliner (1888) • Changes format from cylindrical to disk • Improves quality and volume of sound • Develops ability to mass-produce quality musical recordings • Hi-Fi (1935) and magnetic tape (1944)

5. The Birth of the Recording Industry • A New Way of Publishing Music • Recording allows publishing of non-notated music • ASCAP – American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers started in order to collect royalties on public performances and sheet music • BMI – Broadcast Music, Inc., started as response to ASCAP to license composers and artists not part of ASCAP

6. The Birth of the Recording Industry • Changing the Musical Experience • The death of “Social Music” • Changes audience standards for perfection in performance

7. The Birth of the Recording Industry • Recording Formats • LPs vs 45s replace 78s in late 40s • Compact disk and digital recording • CD launched in Europe in 1982 • Digital recordings permit exact copies • Sony Walkman • Began in 1979 as tape player or FM radio • “Personal musical cocoon” • Music on the Internet

8. The Birth of the Recording Industry MP3 Moving Picture Experts Group Audio Layer 3 A standard for compressing music from CDs or other digital recordings into computer files that can be easily exchanged on the Internet

9. Rock and Roll and the Integration of Music • From Race Records to Rock and Roll • “Race records” (recordings by black artists) become “R&B” in 1949 • Wynonie Harris records “Good Rockin’ Tonight”, first rock-and-roll song, on December 1947

10. Rock and Roll and the Integration of Music • Blending Black and White Musical Traditions • Elvis Presley begins recording in 1953 • White hillbilly singer borrows from R&B tradition • Chuck Berry signs with Chess in 1955 • Blues guitarist borrows from white hillbilly singers • Both artists play “Maybellene” at same time in different parts of the country

11. Rock and Roll and the Integration of Music • Rock Radio • Moondog’s Coronation Ball • R&B concert in Cleveland in 1952 by Moondog (Alan Freed) • Overbooking led to violence, but Freed used negative publicity to boost R&B radio show • Film Blackboard Jungle features “Rock Around the Clock” • Freed fired in 1959 in payola scandal

12. Youth Culture and the Recording Industry • Detroit’s Motown Records • Most successful independent label • One of most successful black-owned businesses • Founded by Berry Gordy in 1959 as Tamla Record Company • Songs mixed for AM radio • Girl groups such as the Supremes • Instrumental in integrating audiences • Now a unit within Polygram

13. Youth Culture and the Recording Industry • From Singles to Albums • British invasion in 1964 • Early albums were collections of singles • Focus shifted from tour promotion to end product • Birth of the concept album – a group of related songs on common themes • First concept album: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles

14. Youth Culture and the Recording Industry • Disco • From NYC gay subculture in 70s • The Village People’s “YMCA” • Heavily-produced dance music • Punk • From Britain politico-economic unrest in 70s • Raw, untrained; alienation, rebellion • Sex Pistols • Evolved into grunge: Pearl Jam, Nirvana

15. Youth Culture and the Recording Industry • MTV and the Music Video • On air in 1981 • Changed artists’ approach to gain exposure • Aided Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, ZZ Top, Robert Palmer, Madonna • Running fewer longer-format programs

16. Youth Culture and the Recording Industry • Women and Rock • Billie Holiday (1915 – 1959) • Blues singer • Strong influence on female blues artists • No ongoing royalties for jukebox hits • Dealt with racism • Janis Joplin (1943 – 1970) • Tina Turner • Started R&B in 60s with husband Ike Turner • Sold-out tour in 2000 at age 60

17. Youth Culture and the Recording Industry • Lyrics and Teens • Rock often refers to sex, drugs, violence, misogyny, Satanism, and the like • Responses include product liability trials, congressional hearings, censorship, and bans • Rap emerged from talk layers of earlier rock • Use of other artists’ samples • 2 Live Crew’s album As Nasty as They Wanna Be • Federal Obscenity charges; band arrested, album banned • Parents Music Resource Center and advisories