In the late 1930s, James Petrillo, a former trumpeter, climbed to the top of the AFM’s Chicago local. But in the first half of the 20th century, for those artists accepted into the union, it was a constant battle between preserving the jobs that did exist and embracing technological advancements. The divide along race and class lines only grew over the years, and would have existential consequences for the union itself.
In the first half of the 20th century, this included many black blues musicians and white country performers. By the 20th-century start, the union supported a broader range of musicians, although a bias toward “higher-skilled” workers would permeate for decades to come, primarily targeting musicians who couldn’t read music. The AFM was started in the late 19th century, evolving out of social clubs that favored “highly skilled” musicians. This is when the American Federation of Musicians stepped in.Ī workforce doesn’t need to be, and shouldn’t be, divided against the issues facing it This created a tension, where musicians arriving for recording gigs were helping to eliminate their own potential value to radio stations and theaters across the country. The increased production of commercial records in the 1930s and 1940s created new opportunities, while foreclosing other ones: they allowed for radio stations to bypass in-studio talent, while recorded soundtracks removed the need for a theater pit performance.
STARSANDSTRIKES MOVIE
After World War I, however, and the rise of commercial radio, many musicians took up jobs at radio stations and silent movie theaters that needed their labor. Since the early 20th century, the music industry has remained in a near-constant state of technological change comparable to that facing the overall labor market today: a gig economy in which the very nature of work shifts radically on a regular basis, and with it opportunities to make a living.īefore the advent of radio, many musicians were hobbyists, with the exception of those who lived and could perform in large major metropolitan orchestras.
0 kommentar(er)
