Recapping Ned Sublette

Last week in our business of media class, we received the visit of Ned Sublette, who is a musician, composer, record producer and musicologist. Sublette brought to us a vast knowledge on American music, from its beginning until nowadays. It was amazing to see someone that since his young age have been passionate for music and enjoys talking about it. In the class he pointed out many interesting points on the history of music, however, the 10 most interesting in my opinion are:

• History does not repeat itself. 

    Sublette started his presentation stating that sentence. He told us that we must study history in order to understand the present. We also need to know the past to know your present.

• AM FM Radio

    AM and FM radio stations are transmitted through radio waves, they carry throughout sound into a radio station. Sound is vibrating pressure waves; the AM (amplitude modulation) is how long the waves are, differently, the FM (frequent modulation) are how big the waves are.

• Government agency controls the space of frequency

    Radios are cheap to operate but the space of frequencies is expensive. The government controls the space of frequencies so that there is a control over the space that each station will have. It is also easier to send emergency alert through radio.

• Music represents a nation

    Music can give a nation a identity. Many other cultural features, such as dance, art, came because of music. Since music was one of the primary ways of people to express themselves.

• Music Licensing

    Copyright is a fee structure to artists on iTunes so that they make money on their music. Pandora is not profitable for songwriter, only for the one who sings the music.

• George W. Johnson

    He was born as a slave, and played music in the street of NY. Later, he was recording his songs for many people, becoming one of the first to record many songs for the public.

• Edison Cylinder

    First song producer made by wax, it was non electrical. However, base drums were not recorded because of the amount of frequencies

• End of Slavery

    In the U.S it happened in 1863 and in Brazil in 1888. It created a music revolution since different ethnical groups could mix their styles and create new ones. New musical styles such as jazz started to be played on the communities where people used to be slavered.

• Commercial Broadcast

    In 1920 the Pittsburgh radio station was the first to start commercial broadcast. The Edison cylinder could not be played so all the songs were live. It created market for local bands.

• Blues in the 1920s

     The jazz songs were sung by women. Afro-American consumers started to buy the records. The bands consisted of clarinet, trombone, and tube, but the songs were not played on the radio.