Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-De-Ay summary

In the current age of instant access to music, it can be hard to recall or even imagine the thrill of bringing a record into your home for the first time. But when the public started buying records for home listening in mass quantities, the music industry exploded; before long, pop music was born.

Many new pop stars also emerged, and with songs like “Blue Skies,” “What’ll I do?” and “Always,” Irving Berlin would go on to be considered the quintessential American singer-songwriter.

Despite its popularity in the early twentieth century, the music business was not seen as a reputable line of work for much of the country’s Anglo-Saxon population. So it was left to the nation’s outsiders to push the industry forward.

Black artists were able to make a living by taking jazz songs to nightclubs around the country, helping the genre grow in popularity.

It’s always hard to predict exactly how an invention will impact the world, especially with something as groundbreaking as the radio.

Indeed, when it was first made commercially available in the early 1920s, this device revolutionized the music industry.

For 13 years, the United States attempted to ban the production, distribution, and consumption of alcohol.

Much of the nation raised a glass when the order was repealed in 1933, including the music industry, which was happy to forge a mutually beneficial arrangement with the liquor business.

The next big shake-up in the music business happened after World War II when there was an increase in the exchange of music and culture between the United States and the United Kingdom. In the States, this led to what was known as the “British invasion” of music, with young people across the country succumbing to “Beatlemania.”

The Beatles first topped the US charts in 1964 with “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” which was quickly followed by “She Loves You” and “Can't Buy Me Love.”

Two concerts at the very end of the 1960s changed the face of popular music for very different reasons.

The first was the fabled Woodstock festival, which, after considerable planning, took place over three days in the summer of 1969.

As long as there has been music, there have been different styles and genres, and even subgenres. Many of these styles have been closely associated with alternative lifestyles, some of which stay underground, while others become worldwide trends and change the music industry for good.

Many of these same musical movements have been closely associated with different drugs.

As we go down the list of major changes to the music industry, you might be able to guess where it’s headed. That’s right – the most recent wave of change in the industry began when music hit the internet and customers were able to stream any song at the push of a button without having to leave their homes.

The big turning point in this musical revolution was Napster, which was founded in 1999 by a couple of college kids by the names of Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker who created an online platform for sharing and discovering new music.