Pearson International Level 3

Subsidiary Diploma in Music and

Music production

C7: Planning a Career in the

Industry

Planning Your Future

Bradley Barrett

TASK 1
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE
MUSIC INDUSTRY .01
 Music is a very big part of today’s society
and is very widely accessible. In this day and
age, whenever you want to listen to your
favourite song you can just pull out any of
.02
your devices, open any streaming platform
and start listening. Many take for granted
the fact that it wasn’t always like this. The
recording industry is only about 120 years
and the industry we know today can be
traced back to the late 19th century. Before
the performing music industry could
become what it is today, some ground
breaking inventions needed to set the
stage. Some of the first developments on
the subject of sound recording started more
THE than a century ago.

BEGINNING
 .03
In the year 1877, a man by the name of Thomas
Edison reasoned that since sound creates vibrations
it was safe to say that vibrations create sound. He
then went on to make the first human voice
THE recording.
PHONOGRAPH It worked by speaking into the horn of a hand-
cranked machine that captured the vibrations of his
voice by using means of diaphragm and a needle. The
needle would indent the vibrations onto a
continuously revolving grooved, metal cylinder

In 1878, Edison made the prediction that “The

phonograph will undoubtedly be liberally devoted to
music”. In the end he was correct. After a few years
entrepreneurs began to phonograph recordings into
coin-slot machines on city streets. Passerbys got the Phonographs originally
opportunity to listen to minutes of jokes, started at $150 and slowly
dropped to a whopping $7.
monologues and songs. This was a revolutionary
This made them affordable to
step for the entertainment business, especially the the general population
music industry
FLAWS OF THE .04
PHONOGRAPH
Although the Phonograph was a breakthrough in recording music, it had
some drawbacks. The cylindrical recordings were made of tinfoil which
made them fragile and only able to be used a few times before wearing
out. The cylinders also only yielded a few minutes of playtime before
being full which was not enough for most listeners. The sound quality was
also not very good as the stylus vibrating on the tinfoil would often
create distortion. On top of all of that, the Phonograph did not have
much commercial appeal as it was marketed for business and
professional use

NEW BEGINNINGS:
THE GRAMOPHONE
The Gramophone came around in 1887, a decade after the phonograph,
this machine worked similarly to the Phonograph with some
improvements that made up for some of the shorting comings of the
Phonograph. One noticable change was the transition from cylinder to
flat discs which offered longer recordings times and made production
easier as well. The sound quality was also improved due to its lateral-disc
records and improved playback mechanisms. On top of those
improvements the Gramophone was more commercially appealing as it
was marketed towards entertainmented and boasted a more appealing
design
 Initially, record companies would concentrate and
promoting classical music. After some time however, they
started to realise and acknowledge that recording
.05
popular music had its advantages. The more shrill sound of
popular music suited the recordings better and there was
more money to be made from it

The first jazz record, ‘Original Dixieland one-step’ and

‘Livery stable blues’ was recorded in 1917 and sold a million
copies

SOME
SOCIAL
ASPECTS
HOW
THEY .06
STARTED
:VINYLS
German-American inventor Emile Berliner was
the creator of the musical disc. As a gifted
inventor, he realised the flaws of the wax
cylinders. He realised that they were not very
effective and could be improved on. For this
reason, he decided to improve them while still
attempting to keep the same concept.
As Berliner went through trial and error he
was finally able to perfect his first working
version of a semi flat disk that had rings
indented into it, similarly to the way the wax
cylinders would produce music
HOW THEY
IMPROVED .07
:VINYLS
Once again Berliner saw flaws in his work and
as a result, began working on how to improve
it. His remedy was to make this disk completely
flat. These were called “ 78’” as they allowed
78 rotations per minute. Listeners then had 3-5
minutes of playtime they were very pleased
with.
After alot of research and development,
Colombia Records released the first long play
vinyl record which used micro groove to
support 4x the total run time per side. RCA
then went on to release 7 inch records as a
retaliation and the competition went on.
 .08
WHAT DID
VINYLS
MEAN Different listeners began to create collections
of all the different music they would listen to,
this became a fun and popular hobby among
listeners. This also put some weight behind ‘The
RCA Victor Label group’s” name causing them
to appear as more formidable to the other
labels which only made labels, themselves
included, more competitive. The only real issue
was that vinyls were not the most ideal things to
travel with. They were best used in locations
were listeners new they weren’t really moving
much. Vinyls worked really well for a while but
inventors knew it was only a matter of time
before the next development
 .09
THE CONDENSER
MICROPHONE
For quite a while, recording music was quite a burdening task.
Everything was mechanical. Artists had to sing and play instruments
into a big tube . They were also forced to play at very loud volumes
since the mechanical recording could come out a lot quieter. With this
problem in mind, the microphone was created. These devices used tube
circuits in their impedance converters to record sound. The creation of
this device was revolutionary for the music industry. Not only was this
making the switch from mechanical to electronic but it opened up a
whole new world of opportunities for artists. This changed the music
industry and allowed artists to deliver subtle, emotive performances.
This new development made it more possible for singers to personalise
their singing style since they could sing in a more relaxed manner. It also
allowed artists to comfortably used techniques like falsetto and
vibrato more frequently.
WAR OF THE WHAT WAS IT ? . 10
SPEEDS
The war of speeds was quite a significant time in the history of recording technology and the history of
the music industry. It was a competition between different record formats, they both played at different
speeds and had quite an effect on the consumer market.
WHAT HAPPENED?
In the year 1948, Colombia Records unveiled the 12-inch 33 1/3-rpm Long Playing vinylite record. These
stores a whopping 23 minutes on each side. The only issue was that listeners needed Philco’s Corporation’s
LP adaptor which was an extra $29.95

While this happened, the RCA had been able to develop seven-inch 45 rpm ‘singles’ which could be stacked
in jukeboxes with ease. In 1949 the seven inch 45 rpm microgroove extended play vinylite record and player
were introduced. These were created to combat the long play and serve as a rival. Colombia Records and
RCA were in intense competition for some time. They both aimed to be the best record speed.

Consumers were being forced to pick a side and make a decision between the two. It was either that or
buying two record players which was not optimal. People observed and waited to see which speed would
come out on top.
Later on, major label Capitol became the first major label to support 78, 45 and 33 1/3 rpm all at once.

In the year 1951, this war was finally resolved when RCA and CBS started to manufacture records at both
speeds which sent multi speed record players into wide spread production. Long plays were established in
the classical market but singles (45s) had become the preferred format for playing popular music.

At this point in time monophonic sound, transmitted through one channel, was still used by
records. When left and right channels were recorded on opposite sides of the group while using
MONO
two or more speakers, it became stereo. Stereo sounded more natural and 3D. During 1958, a
& STEREO world standard for stereo records was established which brought forward the first stereo
recordings on vinyl available.
Although the already existing music storing devices were still in use,
customers and listeners wanted more. All the existing devices were
really big and chunky and not at all easy to carry around. Dutch . 11
company, Philips, recognised the gap in the market and decided that
they needed to take the initiative to fill it. That’s when the cassette
came in to play. The cassette was easy to use and, more
importantly, it was portable. Portability was something brand new
for music playing devices and took the world by storm . The
cassette was also able to store data in them so friends could record
songs and make mixtapes for their friends to listen to and enjoy
together.

Although the cassette tapes were revolutionary, they had their

drawbacks. In order to make cassettes portable, inventors had to
sacrifice sound quality by adding a smaller amount of sound data on
a smaller length of tape. They were also quite delicate. They were
sensitive to heat and their exposed film could easily tangle or get
damaged. Another thing that held them back was that you could not
just rewind to a certain part of the song like you could with vinyls.

CASSETTE
TAPES
THE CD
CD’s were invented as a new method of listening to music.
Before CD’s there was only analogue waves that were able to
make music. Compact discs were the introduction of
electronic waves. These were made by analogue waves
being converted into numbers and kept on a different
format. These were better than any of the previous music
playing devices in terms of durability. They were had the
best sound quality of all the sound storage devices.
Quality was only sometimes lost due to the playback
devices. The first 5 inch CD went for sale in 1982. They also had
the largest amount of storage power and really took a leap
into the digital age of music.

. 12
 Napster . 13
Sometime in the year 1998, a young Shawn Fanning going under the username ‘napster’ entered a chatroom and
shared an idea he had about a software he was working on. This software was supposed to allow people to dip
into each other’s hard drives to share their music mp3 files. Everyone in the chatroom regarded the idea as
stupid and unnecessary, all but one. Aspiring entrepreneur, Sean Parker, showed and interest in the idea and
wanted to meet up and collaborate with ‘napster’ which is what they did.

They borrowed computers and began to work. Fanning coded the software while Parker was thinking of ways to
pitch their idea. Shawn would spends days programming until one day, during the spring of 1999. Fanning finally
had a finished product ready to show and Parker had been able to rake up $50 000 from investors, the pair then
took this and moved to California. Hiring friends from the chatroom as staff, the two launched ‘Napster’ in May
1999. By October, the software had over 4M songs in circulation. In March 2000, the Napster community
numbered over 20M. Napster was a huge turning point for music listeners all over by providing free and easily
accessible music for whoever wanted it.
 THE DOWNFALL OF NAPSTER . 14

in 2001 Napster was forcefully taken down by the government because of accusations
of copyright. People were absolutely frustrated by the news but others believed it was justified.
Artists and record labels wanted credit and weren’t making money off of their music. Others were
happy for the opportunity for their music to be heard and shared by the world. The crime Napster
was said to have committed was known as piracy.

After the court case, the popularity of Napster was never the same. However, the initial software
struck a burning flame of passion in the hearts of many people who aimed to do the same thing. This
started a trend of many new softwares surfacing trying to mimick the use and effect of Napster.
Napster itself was gone, but it’s influence definitely stayed .
 . 15

ITUNES
The fall of Napster inspired many, this includes the creators of iTunes. After the
whole ordeal they were inspired to create a legal platform for streaming music.

Steve Jobs coded and programmed a more refined music streaming platform and
released it under the name ‘iTunes’ in the year 2003. This software allowed people to
download music straight onto their devices which was also a smart marketing decision
for Apple since they had devices like ‘iPods’ for sale.

This development once again changed the music industry by giving consumers an easy
and portable way to listen to a vast library of their favourite songs and artists.
 . 16

SPOTIFY
Steve Jobs was not the only one inspired by Napster. Somewhere in Sweden an ambitious
Daniel Ek worked tirelessly on a project of his. Daniel was a Swedish entrepreneur who also
dreamed of creating a free music streaming platform.

Working alongside Martin Lorentzon, Daniel programmed and developed a music streaming
software for about 7 years. It was not until the year 2008 when they were finally able to
release the finished product and called it ‘Spotify’.
Spotify had 2 versions. There was a free and a premium version. The free version offered all
the same songs as the premium except they were not available for offline download and also
played un-skippable ads between some of the songs. Lots of people gravitated towards
Spotify because, unlike iTunes, it was available to all devices. Whereas iTunes was only
available on Apple devices.
 . 17

SOUNDCLOUD
Around the same time as Spotify, another software was released going by the name of
Soundcloud. According to recordingarts.com “SoundCloud provided users with the ability
to easily embed their tracks onto other sites, upload large file sizes, let people comment on
specific parts of a recording, and choose between sharing songs publicly or only with
desired contacts.” This was specifically good for the music industry because it allowed any
individual artists to post their music and share on a platform where they could receive
feedback and grow a small fan base. It also allowed struggling artists to join and be a part of
a community of people with the same goals and dreams.
THE CURRENT . 18

AND
DAWS
FUTURE
Music used to have to be done in a professional studio with thousands of dollars worth of
equipment. These days there is a vast library of Digital Audio Workspaces where artists can make
music just using basic devices like their phone and some earphones there are some DAWs like
Bandland, FL Studio, Ableton and many more. Many of these are free.

AI
With the recent advancements in AI technology music can now be replicated by the simple
description of what it is supposed to sound like. This is only the start of this technology and with
further development AI could once again revolutionise the music industry
 REFERENCES
Yellowbrick (2023). The Evolution of the Music Industry: A Comprehensive Overview. [online] Yellowbrick. Available at:
https://www.yellowbrick.co/blog/music/the-evolution-of-the-music-industry-a-comprehensive-overview-
2/#:~:text=The%20music%20industry%20as%20we [Accessed 16 May 2024].
‌
Thompson, C. (2016). How the Phonograph Changed Music Forever. [online] Smithsonian. Available at: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-
culture/phonograph-changed-music-forever-180957677/.
‌
Holdener, M. (2022). The History of Vinyl Records: An In-Depth Guide. [online] The Sound of Vinyl. Available at: https://thesoundofvinyl.us/blogs/vinyl-
101/the-history-of-vinyl-records.
‌

https://dangerbowie.com (2023). How the Phonograph Revolutionized Sound Recording. [online] HowStuffWorks. Available at:
https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/inventions/phonograph.htm.
‌

Sammy (2019). When Was The First Microphone Invented? [online] MixButton. Available at: https://mixbutton.com/home-recording-articles/when-was-
the-first-microphone-invented/.

hdladmin (2018). The History of Vinyl Records - Independent Plastic. [online] Independent Plastic. Available at: https://independentplastic.com/the-history-
of-vinyl-records/.

— — (2022). The History of Condenser Microphones. [online] Soyuz Microphones. Available at: https://soyuzmicrophones.com/articles/history-condenser-
microphones.
‌
Simmons, G. (2020). Condenser Microphones. [online] AudioTechnology. Available at: https://www.audiotechnology.com/tutorials/condenser-
microphones#:~:text=Early%20condenser%20microphones%20used%20tube [Accessed 16 May 2024].
‌
‌
 REFERENCES
Foundation, U.G. (2021). Tech that Transformed Music — the Microphone. [online] Medium. Available at:
https://utopiagenesis.medium.com/tech-that-transformed-music-the-microphone-
793bb80dd512#:~:text=The%20development%20of%20crystal%20and [Accessed 16 May 2024].
‌

Sommerfeld, K. (n.d.). History of the Cassette Tape. [online] Legacybox. Available at: https://legacybox.com/blogs/analog/history-of-the-
cassette-tape#:~:text=The%20Cassette%20Tape%2C%20or%20Compact.
‌
www.reliableplant.com. (n.d.). History: On this day in 1982, the compact disc was born. [online] Available at:
https://www.reliableplant.com/Read/7895/history-on-this-day-in-1982.
‌
Lamont, T. (2013). Napster: the day the music was set free. [online] The Guardian. Available at:
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/feb/24/napster-music-free-file-sharing.
‌
Kleinman, Z. (2019). A brief history of Apple’s iTunes. BBC News. [online] 4 Jun. Available at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-48511006.
‌
Rogès, N. (2024). The history of Spotify. [online] Soundiiz Blog. Available at: https://soundiiz.com/blog/the-history-of-spotify/.
‌