Musical Overview
From Mod Mania
From prehistoric campfire song to the manifestation of the modern iPod, I will endeavor to explore the journey of musical formats and storage and their influences on cultural evolution throughout the existence of man.
Since the dawn of mankind music and song have been an integral element in shaping our identity as individuals and has played a definitive role in creating the fundamental characteristics of human society. From passing song around early tribal environments, to the development of later sophisticated instruments, sound philosophy and scientific analogies and the early inventions of sound reproduction late in the 19th century, to today’s standard of digital music technology, it is evident the effect that song has played on societies understanding of the world around us and contributed to the way we live our daily lives.
The birth of music and song can be dated back to the beginning of mankind in which vocal experimentation of the human voice where replicating noises and repetitions of beats and sounds lead to language and ultimately early rhythms. The natural environment provided early man with an abundance of different sounds that may have been imitated to create the first melodies and the introduction of early instruments such as sticks and rocks to create the first rhythmic beats. These “Prehistoric” techniques are still evident in societies today around the world including in indigenous tribes of Australia whether in ceremonies, story telling or in recreation of historical practice. As humanity however moved from these primitive techniques and discovered other possibilities through sound, including more advanced instruments such as pipes and early stringed apparatus other genre’s of music where born including folk and traditional music. Throughout the middle ages and medieval periods much of the music was created under the Roman Catholic Church and little music survived that was not was outlawed and suppressed by the teachings and authorities of the Church. Eventually music moved forward and was structured with notes, scales and development of theories for sound waves and analyzing their properties through physics. Classical music was developed and by compiling many instruments in sequence, amazing concert experiences were created under the composers and conductors of this period. In the late 19th century music was revolutionized however, with the birth of sound recording and reproduction.
In July of 1877, Thomas Edison filed a patent on a sound recording and reproduction device. The design of his “Phonograph” machine was originally invented to capture the output of a telephone and possibly retransmit it later. The original device had a sheet of tin foil on which was embossed with a small chisel that was forced up and down with the resonation of sound waves. The first prototype was constructed and Edison proceeded to shout the first few verses of “Mary Had a Little Lamb” to test the device. To his amazement he was able to reproduce the tones of his voice, later stating “I was never so taken back in my life” and so the birth of recording was upon the world ready to develop into music recording as we know it today.
From these early developments further experimentation lead to the development of the “Gramophone” which unlike Edison’s phonograph sound was transformed onto disc rather than the previous cylindrical design. The gramophone went into manufacture and was targeted towards the public for entertainment purposes. Ongoing developments rivaled each other throughout the early 20th century with further advances in phonograph technology eventually moving to the development of electrical recording equipment and electromagnetic record cutters in 1924. Eventually the 33⅓ rpm LP (long-playing) vinyl disc was released by Columbia Records in 1948 with the ability to play on one side for up to 30 minutes in caparison to the already available 78 rpm discs that could only fit single songs. The 33⅓ rpm discs were better value for money over the singles however the actual record players were quite expensive starting at around $350. 1954 saw the introduction of the transistor radio which allowed popular music to be advertised and released to the public through radio waves.
In 1963 the compact cassette tape was developed and sold, however at this stage only blank tapes could be purchased. By the early 70’s sound quality was greatly improved with Dolby Corporation’s introduction of their noise reduction system making the cassette a contender as a high-fidelity instrument that would eventually rival sales of the vinyl record. Originally the cassette was more popular with younger consumers for its portability and the ability to make copies of vinyl tracks or record directly off the radio. Over time engineers were able to develop the sound quality of the tapes however and popularity grew among the older generations. In 1979 Sony introduced the Walkman, a battery powered portable music device that played cassettes. It was hugely popular and made music an even more personalized experience along with the advantages of being portable. In 1982 Phillips began to market its laser-read CD (Compact Disc) Player, though not instantaneous there were signs of interest and once more a new competing media was brought to the table. A study taken of sales in 1986 show a fall in LP record sales to 110 million units, in comparison to the cassette tape selling more than 3 times this amount, the newcomer CDs at this stage were on the rise selling 50 million units. By 1988 CD sales topped LPs for the first time. Eventually CD’s became number one extinguishing their rivals out of existence due to their superior quality and application. Their ability to be played not just on the standard CD player but also the home computer lead to the next wave of technology, the MP3 format.
The MP3’s reputation can be accredited to the growing popularity of the internet and really took off during 1999. Music had become digital and began to move away from traditional hard copy media to data stored on personal computers and early portable music devices, the first of these being a 32MB portable music player known as the MPman. The device was not widely favored by the public and was later succeeded by a more popular device called the Rio PMP300. The digital age brought with it new and exciting possibilities for the public with further introductions of MP3 playing devices up until the launch of the ever popular and still developing Apple iPod in 2001. The first model released boasted a capacity of 5 or 10Gb and was connected by apples “Firewire” cable. Since this first release Apple have continued to develop an impressive range of media player’s including models such as the “Classic” “Mini” “Nano” “Shuffle” and “Touch” all of which suited to different markets. Now dominating sales across the world, makes Apple the most popular portable MP3 Playing device of all time. This can be linked to Apple’s excellent advertising campaigns as well as their reputation and trademark features that are now associated with the brand; such as the white earphones that accompany the device and wheel user interface that is simple and effective in navigating through the standardized software preloaded to the device upon purchase. The device is also able to play a number of formats and in recent releases able to view pictures and video. One standout characteristic of the conventional iPod is that they are supplied to the public ready to go, however prevent the user from modifying the interface or performing any work to the interior workings. This is cleverly done by Apple to ensure it’s product is safe from competitive tampering but also ensures all repairs must be performed buy certified Apple manufactures’ to guarantee all business stays within the business. In the past there have been reported issues with battery life and the inability to replace batteries when the device has aged. Apple’s initial response was that it was necessary to purchase a new device; this outraged some members of the public demanding that Apple offer a battery replacement program. In retaliation Apple made it available to replace batteries at the steep price of $99.00 making it more economical to upgrade the entire unit. Apple has also received complaints on the reliability of their devices with issues coming up such as durability differences in models. With these difficulties however the Apple iPod has strove to ever growing sales which can be viewed below on the graph displaying quarterly sales increases.
More than 150 million iPods have been sold across the world to date and the market is growing with the recent introduction of the Apple iPhone. It is widely asked: Why? And it comes down to a number of reasons, namely the advertising techniques achieved by associating the device with many different genres of music and being widely available to a society built on modern western consumerist morals. Apple were able to grab the initial MP3 audience early in the digital explosion and created a foothold in the market for itself with its trademark white design and wheel interface, selling to the public as a necessity rather than a luxury. Its reputation however is built around its sleek design and easy to use interface which can be easily understood and now universally recognized. Once upon a time to be seen with an iPod would have publicized a certain social status however now the device is so popular it’s rare to come across someone in the younger generations of the western world who doesn’t own, hasn’t owned or at least ever used the iPod.
The shift to digital media however is not without its problems for society, especially for the record companies. In recent years it has not been uncommon to hear about the battling record industry versus the world of piracy and unauthorized duplication of media especially when they’re up against the forces of the internet and peer-to-peer networking. However the problem of piracy in the music industry has not only come about in the 21st century, but has been prominent in the industry since the dawn of recording. Even Edison’s original phonograph ideas were copied and modified into later developed alternatives. With every media released to the public, there have always been possibilities to copy and reproduce music illegally. If there’s one characteristic that is prominent in social context throughout the development of musical advancements it’s that the user has endeavored to replicate and gather compositions at a better price then what’s offered on the shelves. Undoubtedly however the switch to digital media has blown this issue out of the water. CD and DVD burners come standard with home computers nowadays and although it is stated that coping is illegal it’s virtually impossible to police on a small scale.
Upon the invention of MP3 format and the internet it also became possible to share and download music through various networking programs or peer-to-peer networks. One of the original programs allowing this was “Napster” an online “share space” developed by a young programmer named Shawn Fanning in 1999. It allowed users to log onto the internet and share music files with the click of a button and download copious amounts of music directly to their PC. The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) went to war with Napster in an effort to ban the program from American Universities were music sharing was becoming out of control. Eventually in 2002 Napster bit the dust after being sold to a publishing company; however, by this stage multiple file sharing servers were becoming evident all over the net and it became impossible to combat the inevitable. Media can now be purchased through the internet and this is a popular technique of acquiring music legally. Bands and musicians are also moving away from the conventional selling techniques some offering entire albums for download at nominal fees determined by the consumer.
The music industry is in an interesting position or predicament in this day and age. Changes in society’s views today will play a dramatic role in the shaping of music ownership of tomorrow. Is the western world heading down a road in which music in the sense we once knew it will not be the same? We are tending to be more commonly viewing record labels as services to us rather than an industry in which they make the majority of the profits. Perhaps we are on the brink of a massive turn in the industry upon which more musicians will seek to manage themselves and release music only to those who support them through other means. At the end of the day by returning to the roots and fundamentals of musical performance it is evident that song is not based entirely around what musical tracks you are in position of, but the experiences and feelings generated through song that make music special to people of the world. If this means moving away from music ownership and material possession and moving back towards live performance and real experience then perhaps this movement will be for the best.
Paddy Ryan
S 3165433
Bibliography:
David L. Morton Jr. 2004 , Sound Recording: The Life Story of a Technology, Greenwood Publishing Group, Westport.
http://www.recording-history.org/index.php, viewed Monday September 29th 2008
http://www.oldandsold.com/articles30/music-essays-1.shtml Monday September 29th 2008
http://blog.mail.com/xlii:thegame.com/, viewed Monday September 29th 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_music http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prehistoric_music http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_formats viewed Wednesday 1st October http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_PMP300 2008
http://www.apple.com/itunes/ viewed Wednesday 1st October 2008
http://actualmalice.wordpress.com/2007/10/ viewed Wednesday 1st October 2008
