CHAPTER ONE ORIGINS OF THE MODERN MUSIC INDUSTRY The music industry is a vast global machine It offers opportunities for those with musical marketing or technical talents to follow their dreams For every famous singer rapper DJ or band there are hundreds of people working behind the scenes to make the dream come true Money from Music The music industry is a term used to describe the many companies and individuals who in some way make a living from music That includes performers music producers concert promoters record labels and music distributors the people who get music to shops and download stores Also involved are instrument manufacturers sound technicians and marketing companies who work hard to promote musicians and music releases Humble Origins People have written and played music for thousands of years It's only in the last 200 years that people have been able to make a living from music Even then only top musicians and concert hall owners were able to get rich What we call the music industry really began with the development of equipment that could record sound The first device was a phonograph invented by Thomas Edison in 1877 The machine used strange looking wax cylinders to record and replay music Today's DJs wouldn't exist without the development in the 1870s of equipment for recording and replaying music
Disc Doctor The development of records pressed plasticor vinyl discs allowed people to listen to recorded music at home on a device called a phonograph Records quickly became popular among wealthy people in the early part of the 20th century This created work for musicians singers and popular entertainers of the time They recorded their performances onto records so they could be sold to the public by record labels Boom Time Records really began to take off in the 1950s when the equipment to listen to them known as record players became cheaper Teenagers quickly became more interested in pop music and record sales soared In the 21st century top singers such as Beyoncé can earn millions of dollars every year Global Industry Today the worldwide music industry is huge According to the international music industry body the IFPI global music sales topped 15 8 billion in 2009 That's an enormous amount of money and it doesn't include sales of concert tickets or royalties payments given to songwriters and performers when their songs are played on the radio or television Music is big business and if you are very successful in the music industry you can become very rich indeed Inside Story This book will give you a glimpse into the inner workings of the music industry explaining who does what and why We'll also show you how bands go from garage enthusiasts to global stars and how television and the Internet changed the music industry forever
ORIGINS OF THE MODERN MUSIC INDUSTRY BASEMENT BEGINNINGS While it may be big business the majority of people who work in the music industry do not earn a lot of money For every star earning millions in music sales and concert tours there are hundreds of thousands of others who get by on passion and enthusiasm alone The Journey Begins Most bands singers and rappers started out in the same way with a love of music a bit of talent and a burning ambition to make a career out of it No one is successful overnight and behind every big star is a story of humble beginnings Many have sung for nothing at local clubs or formed a band with their friends Fifty Years on the Road Success doesn't always come quickly Famous American blues musician Seasick Steve above spent 50 years as a musician before he got his big break Steve was born in 1941 but didn't record his breakthrough debut album until 2006 when he was 65 years old For much of his life he has traveled around the United States doing odd jobs on farms and playing occasional solo gigs to earn a living It wasn't until he moved to Europe in 2001 that he was finally discovered and offered a recording contract
the beginning of a journey to the very top Lady Gaga was in an unsuccessful band in New York City for two years before she was signed to a record label The members of U2 got their break following several years of hard work in their hometown of Dublin Local Legends There are music scenes in almost every major town and city around the world These scenes are the lifeblood of the music industry without them there would be no music industry at all These local circuits of concert venues clubs recording studios and rehearsal rooms are the breeding ground for many future stars These scenes exist to entertain music fans but also to help fine tune the skills of aspiring music stars Hard Slog Very few musicians ever make a decent living out of their passion For some their dreams will be just that dreams But for others success in their hometown is just The Scoop Some small music venues become world famous for giving bands their big break Following the success of The Beatles in the 1960s Liverpool's Cavern Club became a go to destination for record Label talent scouts from London They thought they would find other bands they could turn into stars Several bands were signed but none were as successful as The Beatles Before they make it big bands must first build up a loyal following of fans on the Internet or in their hometown
