Chapter 5 Radio and Recorded Music

Goals of this Chapter Discuss the history of the medium Discuss the technology behind the industry – Changing the industry today Cover various policies and social issues related to the material – Including music’s influence on culture and society

Early History Pre-radio waves – Recorded music first referred to that which was transposed from the oral tradition into print With printing press, Sheet music has wide distribution – 1877 Edison develops the first acoustic recording technology – 1882 Berliner invents the phonograph (using 78rpm records) Adapted into Nickelodeons in 1890 (coin/public) Adapted for home use in 1906 by the Victor Talking Machine Company (Victrola) – These inventions spread variety and availability of music Popular Music is born—what will the most people buy? Record sales: 1914—23 million; 1919—107 million! –$32 Billion Worldwide in 2003 (7.6% lower than expected)

Early History (cont ’ d) Wireless Telegraphy – 1896 Marconi creates a wireless telegraph using radio waves, Morse code (Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company) – 1906 Lee De Forest invents the Vacuum Tube Enabling transmission/reception of voice, music and other sounds – 1912 the Titanic sinks—leading to public discourse and gov’t regulation of the airwaves Radio Act of 1912 – Dept. of Commerce WWI – The Navy takes over, technology accelerates as military uses take precedence – In 1916, De Forest broadcasts the presidential election results (Woodrow Wilson defeats Charles Evans Hughes)

Early History (cont ’ d) In 1920, Navy gives civilians control of radio again (Dept. of Commerce) – Public (civilian) broadcasting results in commercialization of radio New uses are discussed and created (news, education, entertainment…) Broadcasts begin to interfere with one another –Results in widespread license distribution in 1923 Competing visions and directions emerge – BBC or Tax on radios or charge content providers or sell advertisement spots… Commercial Radio begins in 1922 (AT&T’s WEAF Station) –AT&T gets out of radio content (1926) to keep telephone monopoly Radio Act of 1927 forms the Federal Radio Commission (FRC) – limiting licenses and broadcast schedules

Network Radio History NBC is the first network (RCA) in 1926 – Owned many stations linked together to achieve economies of scale (NBC red / NBC blue) Blue later becomes ABC when the FCC regulates (1943) – CBS is created (Columbia Broadcasting System) to directly compete Drive for profit and greater economies of scale leads to affiliated networks – Independently owned, but purchasing shared content – In 1937, NBC has 111 and CBS has 105 affiliates Programming consisted of music, news, comedy, sports, drama and other short dramatizations

Network Radio History (cont ’ d) Reasons for Commercial Radio? – National networks are established – Radio Act of 1927 – license distribution – Licenses gave specific call-signs (resulting in consumer recognition) – Technical improvements and enhanced clarity, strength of signal – Critical mass of radio-owning people – Advertisers see value in mass advertising – Advertising becomes primary revenue for radio networks – Advertisers help shape content around what audience wants to hear—again to increase exposure to the ad – Networks created national, simultaneous markets

Radio Takes on Recorded Music, then TV By 1924, radio’s popularity (and low cost) cuts record sales in half – The new medium is seen as a better alternative – Recorded music industry regains some business thanks to sound improvements Mass production and Frank Sinatra (in 1940) Other music genres with more segmented appeal TV (by 1955) gains control as primary mass entertainment medium – The new medium is seen as a better alternative – Radio industry responds by largely dropping national affiliations and tapping into local markets Genre-based playlists become the norm Disc jockeys become all important in maintaining listener base – Storz (1949) invents Contemporary Hit Radio (top 40) Sees radio as a jukebox, playing only most popular songs

Sound Quality Improves 3M invents magnetic tape in 1947 – Reducing costs and improving quality 33 1/3 rpm (1948) and smaller 45 rpm records are released – 33’s are LPs (Long Playing albums) Used for full albums – 45s are used primarily by DJs because they contain singles and are less expensive 8 Track (60s) and Cassette tape (60s-70s) – 8 track was playback only FM radio resuscitates radio in the 1960s – Better sound quality, shorter range signals (more licenses), stereo sound – Targeted more highly segmented audiences (no longer just Top 40)

Subsequent Industry Changes Radio – FM radio stations beat out AM due to sound quality and variety By % of listeners used FM – The 1990s saw a move by FM stations to airing syndicated programming Accompanied by mergers (Clear Channel Communications – stations Recorded Music – 1982 CDs begin to emerge Cheaper, more scratch resistant and long lasting than LPs and tapes By late 1990s CDs had replaced vinyl LPs (aside from collector editions) –Seen through the filtering out of turn-tables from stereo systems

Subsequent Industry Changes (cont ’ d) Music on the Internet – CDs in computers: ripping, compression and higher speed networks increase viability Sound quality is comparable and files are more easily edited – Copyright violations are finally being tracked and enforced Did anyone ever worry about making compilation tapes for friends? Napster founder - VH1’s top 100 movie songs special

Recorded Music: Technological Progression Analog – Victrola – early ones used a cylinder, later ones used “flat gramophone disks” – records along with needles – Vinyl Records 78 rpm (1882ish)– one or two songs per side 33 1/3 rpm (LP; 1948)– smaller disk, but longer capacity at 23 minutes per side 45 rpm (singles; 1948) – held one 3 minute song per side – Magnetic Tape (electromagnetic recording) – used in audiocassettes (and VCRs) Led to first stereo sound in 1956 (previous had been monaural) Digital – CDs (1982) – uses 1s and 0s and a laser reflection – CD-R, CD-RW and mp3 format increases storage significantly – Leads to surround sound

Major Companies Radio Industry (2002) – ABC/Walt Disney: 30; 25.4 Billion – Viacom-CBS/Infinity: 180; 23.2 Billion – Cox Commercial: 70; 8.7 Billion – Clear Channel: 1225 stations; 2.2 Billion Music Industry – Time Warner: 38.2 Billion; Warner, Repris, Atlantic… – Walt Disney Co.: 25 Billion; Buena Vista, Hollywood, Walt Disney – Vivendi Universal: 24.5 Billion; Decca, Def Jam, Universal – Bertelsmann: 17.8 Billion; BMG, RCA, CDNow – Sony: 11.3 Billion; Columbia, Epic

Recording Industry Components Talent – Groups mostly form at the local level (schools, community events) – Sometimes groups move to bigger markets to get increased exposure (HACHA) Recording Studios/Companies – Companies determine who they spend money on (professional recordings) – Mostly found in L.A. and Nashville – Professional production almost requires a music video (since MTV debuted in 1981) Distribution – Store shelves (typically not chosen by stores) Exception: WalMart… so big an impact; alternate lyrics – Mail Order: BMG club, Internet

Radio Station Components Manager: oversees planning, audience development, ratings and sales Program director: supervises air sound, playlists, DJs and announcers Music director: plans the playlists Producer: required for anything more than announcing; like talk shows and rush-hour shows News director: compiles relevant wire stories Engineer: keeps the station on-air Sales manager: commercial station needs revenue Advertising staff: sells local ad spots – Ad Firms: used for national stations

What about Napster, Gnutella, KaZaA?