Sounds, Screens, Speakers

Sounds, Screens, Speakers provides a broadly comprehensive survey of the emerging field of music and media. Music has been present at the advent of nearly every new media form since the turn of the 20th century. Whether we look at the start of sound recording, film, television or the Internet, music has been a crucial participant in the social changes brought about by these new tools for making and listening to music. This book examines such changes starting in the late 19th century to the present. From the introduction of the microphone all the way through to music in reality television, the purpose of each section is not simply to move chronologically towards the present, but to focus especially on the tangible social relationships created through specific forms of mediation. With readings at the end of most chapters, key questions to facilitate additional discovery and research, and direction to additional readings and resources on popular websites and news sources, this text serves as the ideal introduction to popular music and media.

Sounds, Screens, Speakers makes a deeply important contribution to the field of musical media studies. At once erudite and approachable, it brings the fundamental story of 20th- and 21st-century music to light brilliantly., Sounds, Screens, Speakers shows how music, moving media, and their changing technologies shape who we are. Its fluid, concise descriptions and provocative questions, alongside creative case studies and rich resources, make for engaging reading. Deftly handling a kaleidoscope of material, this book captures the major trends, the contributions of long-marginalized groups, and yet-untold stories. In surprising ways, this book tells us something new about America.

Charles Fairchild is Associate Professor of Popular Music at the University of Sydney, Australia, and the author of Danger Mouse’s The Grey Album (Bloomsbury, 2014), Music, Radio and the Public Sphere (2012) and Pop Idols and Pirates (2008).