History of the Recording Industry (314-0-20)

Instructors

Jacob Smith

Meeting Info

Helmerich Auditorium: Tues, Thurs 10:00AM - 11:50AM

Overview of class

This course will explore the history of the recording industry from the invention of the phonograph in 1877 to the most recent developments in digital audio and industry trends. We will examine the social, cultural, and technological factors that have shaped the development of the recording industry, considering musical genres such as jazz, blues, rock, swing, tropicalia, country, ambient, dub, EDM, hip hop, reggaeton, and K-pop. We will consider the production, distribution, and reception of recordings, tracking the changing ways in which sounds have been produced, sold, and consumed. Recordings of popular music will be our primary focus, but we will explore synergies with the film industry, radio, gaming, and other digital platforms. Some of the key themes in the course will be the intersection of multiple sound industries; the tension between independent and major labels; questions of copyright and creativity in popular music; struggles for representation in the music industry; the relationship between technology and innovation in sonic arts; the increasing mobility and cultural ubiquity of recorded sound; and the labor of making music in the time of AI. Looking back across over a "century of sound" allows us to gain a deeper appreciation of our current immersion in recorded music, and to better understand some of the central debates and dynamics that have shaped the recording industry.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course students should be able to:

Understand and appreciate a wide range of sound recordings in their historical, social, and cultural contexts.

Apply a historical understanding of the recording industry to current practices, companies, and artists.

Think critically about the role played by recordings in everyday life.

Apply lessons learned about the recording industry to other creative industries.

Create an original and well-informed analysis of a significant aspect of recording history.

Evaluation Method

Attendance
Case studies
Paper, final
Paper, midterm
Peer assessment
Quizzes

Class Materials (Required)

All on Canvas