The Origins of the American Record Industry with Kyle Barnett

This week we take you back in time to a moment that…in a lot of ways(?) seems sort of like today. Technology was changing incredibly quickly, artists were hopping between platforms to reach their audiences, and corporate consolidation was remaking the music industry. Welcome to the 1920’s. Professor Kyle Barnett discusses his book "Record Cultures: the Transformation of the U.S. Recording Industry" and takes us through the early years of the record industry. We trace the rise and fall (and rise) of the major labels as they moved through the jazz age and great depression, and ultimately lay the foundation for the systems that we know and love/hate. Also, Saxon and Sam dust off their understanding of Romanticism to try and figure out why the music industry gets so little critical attention.