The evolution of music is nothing short of amazing. Music has been around since the beginning of time, from performing for full opera houses to modern venues, cellos and violins to drum sets and eight string guitars, and records to an infinite assortment of artists in the palm of our hands. As the world changed, so did the music, but not only in the aspect of sound. Although many new genres emerged, marketing, technological advances, advertisement, the art of performance, and so much more has made a remarkable change as well. As fascinating as the timeline pertaining to the history of music would be to cover, this article will focus on the years of the 1950s to present day and select genres of music, specifically rock ‘n’ roll.
Flashback to the 1950s, radio is all the rage. For the rebellious teenagers, they are given the sweet sound of Rock ‘n’ Roll. “Before long boy and girls around the country were rushing out to buy the latest hits from such artists as Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, and Bill Haley and the Comets. In 1956 teenagers found their first rock ‘n’ roll hero in Elvis Presley.” (US History Text). From that time on, Elvis Presley was known as the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Although wildly popular, Elvis was not the only face of rock ‘n’ roll of the 1950s.”The 1950’s saw the emergence and rise of Rock ‘n’ Roll and Rockabilly. Carl Perkins was one of the pioneers in the creation of rock music and his style is often referred to as “Rockabilly” because it sounds like a combination of country and R&B music with rock influences. Some other artists that were popular in the rockabilly genre were Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Gene Vincent.” (ThePeopleHistory). Although not as influential, many new artists and bands surfaced. Soon, live performances began to take the world (of music) by storm.
How did anyone hear about upcoming shows? Through newspaper articles, flyers, and the ever so popular radio and television. Although television dominated through the fifties to the sixties, the radio made a grand gesture in attempt to win its audience back. They presented recorded music, news, talk shows, weather, public-service programming, and shows for specific audiences and eventually received a large enough audience once again for them to not only survive, but to flourish. Newspapers and flyers were a great way to spread the word to local residence, but radio helped reach a much larger audience. Today, radio does play a part in advertising upcoming shows and events, such as simply promoting the event and even holding contests for tickets and the occasional backstage pass, but a majority of advertisement is done through social media. Artists promote upcoming concerts and the releasing of singles and albums through their “personal” Twitter and Facebook accounts, hold interviews that can be found on YouTube, television, and radio stations. This kind of advertisement can reach anywhere from one hundred to one thousand people in a matter of just one single post and it is a great marketing tool!
Now that word has broken out about the upcoming show, now all that’s left is to purchase the ticket itself. Back in the fifties and sixties concert tickets ranged anywhere from fifteen to fifty dollars, but typically was between twenty and thirty dollars. “In 1998, the average ticket prices for the top ten grossing North American tours were $47.96, in 2008 the price skyrocketed to an average of $151.34. When tours became popular, the most expensive ticket for top ten tours in 1998, for such bands as the Rolling Stones, a ticket would cost about five hundred dollars. In the year of 2008, a tour ticket for Bon Jovi would break the bank for a whopping $2,060” (Billboard). The King was a bit more pricey for his performance. “Ticket prices for Friday night’s Elvis Presley concert in Hammons Center, an event that is expected to draw the largest crowd ever at the Southwest Missouri State University facility, apparently have leveled off at about $50 each.” (Lopez). In the year of 2013, a ticket to the House Party Tour containing A Day To Remember, Pierce The Veil, All Time Low, and the Wonder Years on campus at uMass Lowell ran for $38.50. Before, tickets were general admission and did not dictate where people were prohibited to go. They could roam freely among the venue, push their way to the front of the crowd, or easily stay in the back if that is where they were most comfortable. Today, customers pay for which section they will be seated in for the duration of the show, whether it be in the pit, a section of seating, or lawn seats if they are available. The ticket prices may cost a pretty penny, but the experience itself is priceless.
In the early years of concerts, band merchandise was limited, naturally. Although there was not much variety to choose from, tables were slammed. People found it dire, which it was, to buy one of the two or three band t-shirts available. How else was anyone to know that you attended the greatest rock show of all time without a proper souvenir? Today, the variety is more than plentiful. Customers can find merchandise ranging from multiple different t-shirts, hats, string backpacks, bracelets, cups, posters, sweatshirts, shorts, stickers, CDs, etc. Something that has not changed however, is band merchandise is generally paid for in cash, unless they have a Square Reader, which is a portable credit card processing accessory that attaches straight to their mobile phone.
Now that everyone has heard of the show, bought their ticket, and got some killer merchandise to take home, the only thing left is to enjoy the show! Back then, there wasn’t much to help hype the crowd, but that never seemed to affect the overall performance. The artist had their microphone, instruments, big speakers, and an assortment of white, bright lights to emphasize the awe factor of the show. Even with the simple supplies they had, the crowd never seemed more alive. Today, artists have everything from the prior list including colorful lights, speakers throughout the venue, and they are given the option to use fog/smoke machines, confetti cannons, strobe lights, large backdrops that are able to display videos and effects, and depending on what kind of show, an assortment of other things. Concerts today are as if they are an illusion that you’ve entered a new world, and once you leave, the world that you once knew does not seem nearly as exciting as it once was.
Now that the show is over, the next time people will be able to hear the music again is through the radio, tapes, and stereos. The options were limited, but they never seemed so sweet. Today, with technological advances, we have all the music from the show, previous work from that artist, and a whole other assortment of artists in the palm of our hands. We are given personal music libraries on cell phones and iPods, we are given radio, music television, Pandora, Sound Cloud, YouTube, and what seems to be an infinite amount of other sources for music. In reference to concerts themselves, in 2006, Live Nation launched and made the art of buying concert tickets seemingly effortless. With access to your music library, it generates a list of shows that it believes you will like and allows you to purchase tickets through the app itself and experience the beauty of another show all over again. Today, we can put on our headphones and slip into the 1950s and beyond by a simple search, fall into a world of our own and simply get lost in the music.
Work Cited
“Action At the Top.” Billboard. N.p., 7 May 2009. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.
Lopez, Francesc. “Elvis Presley in Concert.” ElvisConcerts. Web. 24 Apr. 2015.
Music Played in the 1950’s Popular Music From the 50s.” 1950’s Music Played in the 50’s Bands Groups Singers from The People History. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2015.
“Popular Culture of the 1950s.” Postwar America. Web. 24 Apr. 2015.