Song and System

This investigation of how music entered American homes and became a cultural institution that would expand to become a multibillion-dollar industry weaves a history of the evolution of pop music in tandem with the music business. Exploding in the 1950s and '60s with pop stars like Elvis and the Beatles, the music industry used new technologies like television to promote live shows and record releases. More recently, the development of online streaming services has forced the music industry to cultivate new promotion, distribution, copyright, and profit strategies. Pop music and its business have defined our shared cultural history. This not only charts the music that we all know and love but also reveals our active participation in its development throughout generations. This great resource for recent music history delves into all of this and more!