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Kaylin Cohen
CAS 137 H
Freymiller
Paradigm Shift Essay
11/4/14
Imagining life without music is very much incomprehensible. When taking into
consideration music, technology, and society, there are distinct connections between the
affects they had and have on one another. When technology began to advance, so did
the way society listened to music. Societys attitude has changed because of the way
music is presented to the public. This influences the way people behave, dress, and
who individuals socialize with. The appreciation of music has also transformed
remarkably from the late 1800s until now. As technology continues to evolve, society
has changed how they enjoy and experience music consistent with how technology has
altered their daily lives.
With the creation of the phonograph, listening to music at home was finally
achievable. From the year 1877 to 1928, record players were very prevalent. People
would go out and physically buy copies of records to play on the phonograph. There
were only so many records produced at a time that all of society listened to the same
type of music. People would really bond over this experience of uniformity. Since there
was nothing else to listen to, any music produced was what people had to like.
Additionally, this music was real; You are hearing a single and complete take, in which
the beginning, middle, and the end of the piece were recorded in that order on the same
day, in the same place, and by the same performer or group (Capturing Sound: How

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Technology Has Changed Music 2005 41). If someone sneezed in the middle of
recording or even played a wrong note, the music was still produced. The innocence of
music was truly remarkable. Since entire families were listening to the same music, it
had to appeal to everyone and be appropriate to even the littlest of children.
Additionally, the more intimate experience of listening to music in a home rather than
concert halls was truly remarkable. However, in this constantly evolving technological
world, the sound that record players produced was not of high quality and therefore
record players descended after many years of popularity.
Radio and free music came about in 1895. The theory of electromagnetism with
the help of Faraday, Hertz, Tesla, and Marconi were all huge assets into creating what
we know as the radio. This was so crucial to society because although phonographs
and record players were still in use, not everyone had the money to purchase records
players along with records: Thanks to its vacuum tubes and amplified speakers, radio
was a sonic revelation for listeners. Music on radio sounded better than on a
phonograph. And once you owned a radio, it didn't cost a thing (Playback: From the
Victrola to MP3, 100 Years of Music, Machines, and Money 33). Interestingly enough,
there were many criticisms of the radio. Many people believed that the radio should only
be used for two-way communications in wars. However, the radio took off in the 1920s,
after the presidential election, and began the golden age of the radio until the 1950s. No
longer did people have to fuss with their record players and be exposed to only limited
music; radios had all types of music that would appeal to everyone. Music, news, sports
scores, voting results, soap operas, lectures, weather reports, comedians, political
commentaries, and stories were all heard through this radio. People would gather

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around this radio wherever accessible which brought about much connection in society.
Another criticism was listening to music constantly on the radio would make live
concerts extinct. Indeed, the radio has only inspired other artists and has made their
work more public and known to society. Society was also now able to recognize and
listen to their favorite musicians whenever they wanted. Without the radio making it
effortless for individuals to experience new music, there is a chance that Elvis Presley
and the Beatles would not have been as popular and well-known. The top 40 stations
created in the 1950s has greatly influenced how the radio is operated today, just as well
as the development of popular music today is generally attributed to radio used in the
1900s.
Cassette tapes, created in 1962 were popular from the 1970s to the 1990s. They
were widely used for just a short amount of time. They used magnetic tape, and played
from left to right. Once the songs were all played on one side, one could flip it over and
listen to more music on the other side. Listening to music was only one component of a
cassette tape: Answering machines were equipped with smaller cassette tapes so that
you could listen to phone messages. You could record conversations on a blank
cassette by using a handheld recorder (Impact). The best selling tape was the 90
minute tape which covered two albums. The sales of cassette tapes skyrocketed
immediately because it was just a more convenient and affordable means to listen to
music. However, the cassette tape quickly declined. It was difficult to easily skip to a
desired song, and the cassette tapes would constantly unwind. Since so much
unwanted money was spent during this time over cassette tapes, it was effortlessly
overshadowed by the walkman and the CD.

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The Sony Walkman completely changed the way society listened to music in
1979. No longer were people stuck with their only way of listening to music in their
home. They could now physically take their music with them and listen wherever they
pleased: The Walkman's unprecedented combination of portability (it ran on two AA
batteries) and privacy (it featured a headphone jack but no external speaker) made it
the ideal product for thousands of consumers looking for a compact portable stereo that
they could take with them anywhere (The Walkman). Music became more of a staple in
every day life. People could even share their music with friends when the Walkman
included two headphone jacks. It helped people come together through music outside of
a home. Furthermore, music became such a personal experience. People could finally
listen to exactly what they wanted without anyone else tuning in. Although music was
still used for people to feel connected to one another, the meaning of music became
more intimate and gave individuals a more unique, individual experience.
In 1982, the CD was introduced and cassettes tapes were essentially extinct. CD
players were part of home stereo systems, car audio systems, and personal computers.
These also were now used in the Walkman. They easily beat cassettes since now one
could simply skip to the next song instead of constantly fast forwarding. Since that
generation began to need immediate gratification, this was incredibly important. The late
1800s is when CDs exploded in popularity. CDs were cheaper than cassettes and were
not as easily ruined. CDs had such high quality sound, originally 60 minutes of playtime,
and could directly skip from one song to another, which really appealed to the public.
Although they went on a huge decline when iPods were invented along with streaming,
CDs have visual and tactile qualities that are important to their owners. CDs are more

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or less permanent; they are immune to computer viruses and lightening strikes, are
usually glitch free, and come with handy (if small) liner notes, often with art and
lyrics (Capturing Sound: How Technology Has Changed Music 2010 192). CDs are still
around today, however the demand for them is very low as they are more expensive
and more of hassle to buy than purchasing music off iTunes.
When the iPod was created in addition to iTunes and MP3s in the 2000s, the
whole world of music completely shifted. Unfortunately, consumers of music no longer
appreciate music the way people used to since it is extremely accessible. Music can be
uploaded by the thousands and placed in an iPod or iPhone. Illegally downloading
music became as simple as a push of a button. Artists are no longer getting paid for the
work they complete, as people just simply convert youtube videos to MP3s. Additionally,
streaming has become extremely popular. All of the music is free, just with a few
commercials in between. The only way people pay for Pandora, Spotify, and many
others is to get rid of the commercials in between songs. Even though artists arent
getting directly paid for the music they are creating, they are gaining exposure in the
industry. (Music Bands And Artists over 70 Years). The main advantage of iTunes and
streaming is that digital and networking technologies have introduced is the possibility
of musics unprecedented and unparalleled accessibility. This new accessibility may be
understood in terms of speed, ease, and breadth (Capturing Sound: How Technology
Has Changed Music 2010 186). Since there are so many genres of music and just so
much of it, people socialize with others who share the same love of the music that
interests them. The music people listen to now directly affects the way individuals feel,
who they socialize with, and how they dress.

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By analyzing the impact of technology and music, it is evident that without these
shifts throughout decades, society would not act the way they do now. Music will always
be a shared experience and used as a connection between individuals. The change
between decades proves that people were once so focused on melody and harmony
rather than now, sound and rhythm. Listening to even just the beat of a song, one can
tell which time period it was from; it truly reflects social change. Additionally, the way we
listen to music now versus before reflects on how we value our time and how well we
focus. Listening to one song on repeat through a record left people with a deeper
meaning of each piece of music. Now, music is constantly played in the background
which reflects a faster pace of life and leaves us with having less of an appreciation for
music. Undoubtedly, digital music dominates this world. Music is such a staple in life
and is unimaginable without it. As a notably adaptable commonplace in the world,
hopefully society will never lose its appreciation for music and that music will only
expand its horizons in bringing people together.

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Works Cited
Coleman, Mark. Playback: From the Victrola to MP3, 100 Years of Music, Machines, and
Money. New York: Da Capo, 2003. Print.
Haire, Meaghan. "The Walkman." Time. Time Inc., 01 July 2009. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.
"Impact." <i>The Cassette</i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2015.
Katz, Mark. Capturing Sound: How Technology Has Changed Music. Berkeley: U of California,
2004. Print.
Katz, Mark. Capturing Sound: How Technology Has Changed Music. Berkeley, CA: U of
California, 2010. Print.
"Music Bands And Artists over 70 Years." Music Musicians Bands Players Instruments Clubs
Disco Memories from The People History Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.