With my magic marker, I've turned this ordinary cardboard box into a TIME MACHINE! It's filled with some of the most high tech gizmos corrugated paper products can build, and it's built for two! Now, if you'll indulge your own child-like imagination, the two of us are moving backwards through the churning and wildly unreliable mists of time.
And we've arrived at our first destination, 1716.
That wonderful aroma is the smell of rotting fish. I landed us in the wrong part of town... um, sorry.
If we go instead to a concert you'll notice something unusual; you're at a live performance!
That's not too unusual, come to think of it. What is, though, is that this will be the only place you can ever hear music. In 1716 if you want to chill out and listen to music it'll be a full evening and a pretty penny.
Obvious, yes, but a couple things you should notice:
That's not too unusual, come to think of it. What is, though, is that this will be the only place you can ever hear music. In 1716 if you want to chill out and listen to music it'll be a full evening and a pretty penny.
Obvious, yes, but a couple things you should notice:
- At no time can you pick and choose the song to listen to.
- Every song you're guaranteed to hear from it's intended start point.
- Your average composition is going to be upwards of 10 minutes on average.
- Bach was pop, if you can believe it.
Well, okay, sure you could also listen to the bard playing on the corner, but *pfft* who goes to 1716 to listen to a 2-bit ukelele player?
Back into the time machine and forward a bit to 1915. A boring year, to be honest. Just avoid Europe. Films exist, of course, but these days you'd still be discovering music in the live concerts... but wait! Now you can actually take the music home with you on a record! Or on the radio!
Well, if you're rich at least.
Well, if you're rich at least.
Aaaaand 1956. Mind the smoke, I think we dropped a carburetor over New Mexico, there. Oh well, it's not like anyone ever goes to Roswell anyway... wait, you hear that? Music!
What do you mean this is getting predictable?
Radios are in cars and as an indirect result radio is now the prominent way people discover new music. Teenagers got to choose away from their parents what they wanted to listen to on a mass level for the first time. And, of course, the music itself has had to change because of this. Always does, mind, but this is the time where it gets fun! Well, for me at least... I'm a weird duck like that.
Music producers of this era have a lot riding on the music they make. In this era, it isn't unusual for some of the smaller music producers to bet everything they had on the next single (and then do it again on the next, and the next...). These guys couldn't fight with the unlimited resources of the big labels, so they fight smart. First though, what's the biggest thing this radio revolution means?
Now isn't that cool? Now buckle up that corrugated seatbelt, it's home to the present! Huh, it's not starting.What do you mean this is getting predictable?
Radios are in cars and as an indirect result radio is now the prominent way people discover new music. Teenagers got to choose away from their parents what they wanted to listen to on a mass level for the first time. And, of course, the music itself has had to change because of this. Always does, mind, but this is the time where it gets fun! Well, for me at least... I'm a weird duck like that.
Music producers of this era have a lot riding on the music they make. In this era, it isn't unusual for some of the smaller music producers to bet everything they had on the next single (and then do it again on the next, and the next...). These guys couldn't fight with the unlimited resources of the big labels, so they fight smart. First though, what's the biggest thing this radio revolution means?
- Unlike live performances, there's no guarantee you're going to turn into any song at the beginning. You turn on the radio, you change the station, and it's just as likely you'll land halfway into a song.
- Limit song length to less than 3 minutes to maximize rotation.
- Structure the song with the hook repeated as many times as possible to increase the chance you'll hear it when scanning the channels, catch the catchy bit, and stay to hear the rest.
That's not good...
Tell you what, you go ahead; I'll catch up in a bit!
TO BE CONTINUED...
Author's Note:
All dates are approximate and entirely unresearched. Inaccuracies are not only possible, but to be expected!
In fact, let's make this into a contest.
The first person in the comment section to correctly identify an error or expand significantly on a point from the article will have the next article dedicated to them.
And the person who brings up the most interesting idea related to the subject will have the one after that dedicated to them.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Author's Note:
All dates are approximate and entirely unresearched. Inaccuracies are not only possible, but to be expected!
In fact, let's make this into a contest.
The first person in the comment section to correctly identify an error or expand significantly on a point from the article will have the next article dedicated to them.
And the person who brings up the most interesting idea related to the subject will have the one after that dedicated to them.
"*pfft* who goes to 1716 to listen to a 2-bit ukelele player?" No one does b/c there weren't any at that time on street corners... unless you went to Hawaii... but i don't know if they had street corners at that point so you might just find the ukelele player but no street corner.
ReplyDeleteThere I made this comment longer than it needed to be because I'm awesome like that :)