The textbook does a good job about talking about the modern era of the radio and music but what I think it fails to mention is how music influence humans before the 19th century. It’s crazy to me that there is only one chapter on music seeing how it was so influential throughout human history. Music brought people together, it connected people and created societies. The lack of that in the textbook I think is a huge oversight. Music celebrated life and festivals and happiness for centuries. Religion and Cultures were built around music and I feel like it deservers more time.
What I like that the textbook did was broke up the times and showed the evolution of music through the 20th century. It starts with the modern technology that emerged in the late 1800s that helps distribute mass music and connect people on a bigger scale. This part also flows into the next chapter about radios and really ties the two together. Music has always been a way for people to express themselves and that reflects what the chapter talks about in the race and gender. Like I said before music is part of culture and has been for a long time.
Downloaded was pretty interesting to watch about how fast the music world can change. It went from only live to having a a radio and record player to downloading music to now which we can listen to to music off an app. This just shows how connected people are to their music and want the easiest access they can.
On to Radio, I really likes the Frazer episode we watched. I thought it was funny how fake a person can be over the radio. As funny as it was it did also point out that radio was a major form of entrainment for a long time. They allowed stories to be reached to wider audiences and voices that before weren’t heard could now be heard. Of course all of that is on top of bosting music consumption.
My question for the class is how did Music influence your life? What kind of music do you listen to and why do you think you listen to it?
Mass Media and American Life 
The author did an acceptable job of summarizing the text. The author did not draw the line between radio and Napster, but I did like the authors point about addressing the influence of music in the 19th century on 20th century music.
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I enjoyed reading your blog and how you pointed out the music has always been around and is embedded in our cultural histories. Music is a form of expression, whether we are happy or sad, music can help us express our emotions. Music influenced my life starting at a young age. I remember getting an allowance of $10 and every week when I got paid, I would buy a different CD. I choose to try to explore many different genres, the only ones I don’t like are modern country and hard-core rock or rap. Anything in between is good. I enjoy a lot of singer-songwriters. It really depends on what type of mood I am in. My playlists are all over the place. When I am studying, I really just like soft instrumental sounds and the sound of a piano.
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Music has been a part of my culture since I was born. With a massive chunk of my family being DJs and Producers, I grew fond of the world of music. During my music concepts study, I got various genres, cultures, sounds, and artists. Today I listen to all sorts of music, but I have a real heart for house music. House music originated in Chicago late 1980s and began a movement of underground lgbtq+ clubs. The culture of house party music also was a form of music connected people in Chicago and new york together. Overall, house music is a kind of body sound that I love to experience whenever I do.
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Music has always been something that I used to spark my emotions. As an athlete I used music to bring out my competitive edge. My taste in music ranges very widely. I listen to just about every genre out there but my main genres are R&B, hip-hop, afrobeat and dancehall. When it comes to choosing which one I’m listening to at the moment it honestly just depends on my current mood.
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Music has been a giant part of my life. When I’ve gone through hard times, I always felt like music was there for me whether it directly related to my situation or not. It could help me get a good cry out, or cheer me up when I needed it. I have probably 15 different playlists for different settings and moods. I’ve found it especially helps me get in the right mood when I produce my art, though I’ve found sometimes the feeling of the art I made is completely opposite to the music I was listening to which is pretty funny to me. When I need to get stuff done, I love listening to metal, indie rock/pop, etc. but sometimes it’s nice to just sit and relax to some chill folk or indie music. Everyone should check out Vashti Bunyan for some very relaxing airy music.
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