
MUSIC INDUSTRY NOTES: A Brief History of the Recording Industry and Record Labels
Published September 10th, 2020 | Kristina Didero
The recording industry has proven itself time and time again of its potential to be very lucrative. Since the 1920s, it has been a major income generator with a straightforward process: put out a record, sell a couple hundred thousand, go on tour, and sell even more albums, and then bask in the glory of your earnings. However, in 100 plus years, a lot has happened for the recording industry. In current times, the business struggles to accrue wealth in the same way it used to for pretty much one reason: consumers aren’t willing to pay that much for music anymore. Let’s take a look at the history of recorded music and see how we got here. The first form of pop music was known as minstrelsy which remained trendy from the 1840s to the 1880s at which point vaudeville took over the center of attention. Both of these styles were performed in conjunction with a variation of theatrics. Whether the music was accompanied by comedic skits or dancers, the main experience of the art was through live show.


Normandie Records Industry Notes is a resource for music industry, and music business topics.

Kristina Didero is based out of Los Angeles. She is a graduate of the University of California Santa Barbara. She loves to dance and read self-enrichment books. She’s happy to sit with you till the wee hours of the morning discussing and analyzing life.