Socio-Political Developments
- rise of industrialism (Britain: 1750-1850—application of mineral energy
& technological innovation)—more leisure time for middle class
- study musical instrument
- ... Sears, Roebuck, & Co.
- listen to music for recreation; parlor concerts
- ... Stephen Foster, Schubert, etc.
- 1909--copyright laws enacted so that composers
received royalties for their work; an excellent resource (and the source from
which a large part of the following copyright info was taken) is Dr. Michael
Fink's Inside the Business of Music: Music in Contemporary Life (1989;
Schirmer Books, ISBN: 0-02-873110-7).
- previously, publishers profited from sales of sheet music ... before
records, the medium for disseminating music
- e.g., Stephen Foster died a pauper
- the 1909 copyright statute was enacted to protect copyright owners against
unauthorized duplication of sheet music ... provisions for licensing "mechanical
instruments" (e.g., piano rolls, phonograph recordings, etc) also
appeared in the law
- however, in this initial statute, there was no
protection for the performance of music or for "sound recordings"
per se, so this law could not be invoked against the record
industry's worst enemy ... piracy.
- Jukebox operators (a powerful business lobby) were untouchable under
this early law ... and fought hard against any law that would threaten
their freedom from paying royalties
- 1972--Congress finally passed a law extending copyright protection to performances
embodied on "phonorecords" (chiefly records & tapes).
- this revision was helpful, but not a complete solution
- 1976--entirely new copyright act was passed (went into effect Jan. 1, 1978)
- for more information, see Dr. Fink's text (pp. 36 - 57) for explanations
of relevant terms in this context, e.g., author, work, ownership, copy,
phonorecords, sound recordings, and publication
- an example of the use of these definitions furnished by the Copyright
Office ...
- When a record company issues a new release, the release will
typically involve two distinct "works": the "musical
work" that has been recorded, and the "sound recording"
as a separate work in itself. The material objects that the record
company sends out are "phonorecords": physical reproductions
of both the "musical work" and the "sound recording."
- Federal copyright protection of an original work begins as soon as it
is "fixed in any tangible medium of expression," such as a manuscript
copy (i.e., musical notation) or on tape. Copyright
continues for the duration of the author's lifetime plus fifty years.
After that time, the work passes into the public
domain and is not copyrightable in its original form.
The spirit of the copyright law is the exclusive
right to copy & publish one's own work. The copyright owner has the right
to duplicate and/or authorize duplication of the copyrighted property, and to
distribute it, whether for profit or not.
Click here to see an
online version of the US Copyright Act of 1976, made available by Cornell University.
African American Migration
The 1950s
- preceded & followed by turbulent decades, the 1950s seemed calm &
serene ... but not without controversy
- Joe McCarthy - invasion of America by "Communism"
- Brown v. Board of Education (1954)—declared the policy of "separate
but equal" education (Plessy v. Ferguson, 1896) unconstitutional;
argued by Thurgood Marshall
- lingering fear of "the bomb" (e.g., personal bomb shelters, air
raid drills, etc.)
In general, however, things were good:
- game plan: do well in school, go to college, marry & raise a family
- personal happiness & professional success were considered the inevitable
rewards
- economic affluence sifted down to the middle class
- own a home, buy a new car, vacations, television (Your Hit
Parade)
- most of the nation was listening to Pop Music
- lyrics typically dealt with boy-girl love
- lyrical & musical content was non-threatening
- comfortable, pleasant, & righteous (like society, in general)
- excess was avoided