History 2134A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Peter Carl Goldmark, Theo Parrish, Swing Music
13 Dec 2016
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Hyslop
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ROCK N ROLL READING REVIEW
Reading Notes:
Chapter One: What is Rock?
➢ Rocks various names – reflection of its inborn diversity
➢ First emerged in 1950s – marked by its audience
➢ Made for the youth
➢ Lyrics: riddled with ambiguity and vague allusions
➢ Singers provide two different types of sounds:
o Lyrics as a meaningful utterance
o Sound of the singers voice
➢ Genre: type/style/kind
o Expected patterns of sound
➢ Signature sound: unique sound of the artist
The Structure of Rock:
➢ Exists within a dense web of social relations that create, sustain, and change these forms of culture
➢ Result of interactions between:
o Artists
o Fans
o Mediators
Rocks Three Social Actors:
1. Artists:
➢ Performers = creators
➢ Musicians = composers
➢ Musicians who have been severely limited in creating careers are the most motivated
Distinctive Style: signature sound embodied
➢ Songwriter has more power/money
➢ Rock bands brand themselves (unique names and look)
o By 1970s – bands have unique names and looks for their visual representation
➢ Records need to sell hundreds of thousands of copies before earning any money
o 80-90% of bands don’t sell enough to break even
Two Basic Principles to Boost Selling Odds:
a) “Follow the Leader” – sign artists like those who are already doing well
b) Release records by stars – famous bands/artists
2. Fans:
➢ Because of fans, money enters rock structures
➢ Research on rock fans concentrates them into markets
➢ Demographic categories
o YET they are undistinguished consumers
3. Mediators:
➢ Connect rock artists with their audience
➢ Earn money by getting fans to give them money for tickets/recordings
o In return, give fans access to music
How music is mediated with artists to fans:
a) Enabling music recording by assisting recording process
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Hyslop
2
b) Distributing recorded music
c) Promoting recording music/live performance
Rocks Context:
➢ Open to social and cultural contexts of society
➢ Not the same in countries
➢ Rock in American influenced the development by other countries
Chapter Two: Rocks Precursors (1946-1953)
Mediator Innovations:
➢ Technological innovations rooted in WWII were adopted into the music industry
➢ Taping: made recording easier/cheaper/allowed modifications
➢ Reduced cost lead to Indie Record Labels
o “Independent”
o Where rock n roll surfaced
➢ 1945: 940 stations, 1952: 2350 stations
➢ Independent stations initiated rock
Vinyl Records: crucial technological outcome:
➢ Vinyl developed because the key ingredient used in making records (shellac) became unavailable
➢ CBC first developed vinyl
➢ Plastic allowed records to have finer and more numerous grooves – therefore longer pieces of
music could fit on the record
➢ Peter Goldmark decision
➢ Lighter and less fragile
➢ Jukebox industry embraced this
Musical Styles Change:
➢ War eliminating swing music because:
1. Bands deprived of members because of enlistment in the war
2. Radio stations fees increased, and radio stations refused to pay these costs, so therefore bands
music not played
3. Bands musicians: unions demanded more money from record labels
Changing Socio-Cultural Context (WAR):
➢ Brought together people who previously lead separate lives
o Wider audiences
o New styles emerged from migration patterns
Audience Tastes Change:
➢ LA: “race music”
➢ Art Rupe: white and wanted to record black musicians
➢ Radio helped construct scene
➢ Race records renamed rhythm and blues
o Encouraged more white people to listen to the music
➢ R&B: general label for the several kinds of music popular with black audiences
➢ Louis Jordan: most widely known jump blues artist
o Instrumental in preparing white folks for the coming of rock n roll more than any man in
his era
Memphis and Sam Phillips:
➢ Rock n roll emergence: Memphis, Tennessee
o Positioned where Mississippi, Arkansas, and Tennessee come together
o Route 61 (Bob Dylan song FUN FACT)
➢ Route 61 and 49 cross: when Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil
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Document Summary
Rocks various names reflection of its inborn diversity. First emerged in 1950s marked by its audience. Lyrics: riddled with ambiguity and vague allusions. Singers provide two different types of sounds: lyrics as a meaningful utterance, sound of the singers voice. Genre: type/style/kind: expected patterns of sound. Signature sound: unique sound of the artist. Exists within a dense web of social relations that create, sustain, and change these forms of culture. Result of interactions between: artists, fans, mediators. Musicians who have been severely limited in creating careers are the most motivated. Rock bands brand themselves (unique names and look: by 1970s bands have unique names and looks for their visual representation. Records need to sell hundreds of thousands of copies before earning any money: 80-90% of bands don"t sell enough to break even. Two basic principles to boost selling odds: follow the leader sign artists like those who are already doing well, release records by stars famous bands/artists, fans:
