1. Chapter 3 SOUND RECORDING and Popular Music

2. What are some of the images that come to mind when you think of rock and roll? What might life in the US be like without rock and roll?

3. With a partner, make two parallel lists: Five to ten ways rock and roll has had a positive impact on American culture since the 1950s Five to ten ways rock and roll has had a negative impact on American culture since the 1950s Analyze the patterns that emerge in both lists: Can negatives be seen as positives (and vice versa), depending on the viewer’s point of view? Overall, evaluate rock and roll as either a negative or positive force in American culture.

4. INNOVATIONS IN MEDIA TECHNOLOGY zThree typical developmental stages: yNOVELTY stage yENTREPRENEURIAL stage yCONSUMER MARKETING stage

5. Early sound recording technology zdeMartinville, France, 1850s zEdison, USA, 1877 zBerliner, USA, 1880s zVictor Talking Machine, USA, 1900s

6. Thomas Edison “This tongueless, toothless instrument mimics your tones, speaks with your voice, utters your words and centuries after you have crumbled into dust, may repeat every idle thought, every fond fancy, every vain word that you choose to whisper against the thin, iron diaphram.”

7. Forms of recording zEdison’s wax cylinders: analog recording zBerliner’s flat disk-->vinyl records zMagnetic audiotape (Germany, 1940s) zstereo sound (1950s) zdigital recording (1970s) zcompact discs (1980s) zaudio DVDs

8. RISE OF POP MUSIC zMass-marketed publishing of sheet music: Tin Pan Alley zBirth of JAZZ in New Orleans: fusing rhythm & blues and gospel into swing bands zpopular vocal stars (harmonies and crooners) zROCK AND ROLL

9. ROCK AND ROLL zFused traditions of country, R&B, pop zSignificantly merged music of black and white cultures in the American South zNo music style has ever had such widespread impact, thanks to mass distribution techniques zTransformed the structure of two mass media industries: recording and radio

10. ROCK MUSIC BLURRED BOUNDARIES zHigh and low culture zMasculine and feminine zBlack and white zNorth and South zSacred and secular

11. A CHANGING INDUSTRY post-1960 zThe British Invasion: sound recording goes international zDevelopment of Soul and the Motown label zPolitical impact of folk rock zPunk and grunge movements zRap and the rise of black urban style

12. The Dominance of Rock 19891999 Rock41.725.7 R&B9.512.8 Rap6.49.7 Country7.314.1 Gospel3.16.3 Classical3.63.3 Jazz4.91.9

13. A GLOBAL OLIGOPOLY zRecording industry generates more revenue than all other media except TV za GLOBAL OLIGOPOLY: A few corporations control most of industry worldwide

14. MAJOR RECORDING LABELS zFive corporations produce 85% of all American CDs/tapes, 80% of global market yWarner ySeagram (MCA/Universal/Polygram) ySony (CBS Records) yEMI (Capitol/Virgin) yBMG/RCA Records z“Indies” produce 16% of America’s music yHow do the independents survive in the global marketplace?

15. How does the global oligopoly affect the kinds of music you are able to buy and hear?

16. The Two Great Pop Music Dreams 1.To start a band in a garage, write songs, perform in local clubs, and then get discovered by a major label, which provides limo rides, arena shows, parties and a big house. 2.Independence: to break away from the record label and go it alone. --Neil Strauss, The New York Times

17. What role has recorded music played in your life? Who was your first favorite group or singer? How old were you at the time? What was important to you about the music?