The Music Industry- History

18th Century
The music industry reaches back to the mid-to-late 18th Century. In this era musical composers, most notably the likes of Wolfgang Mozart, began to look into ways to gain commercial recognition of their work, and market their music to the general public. After his death, his wife continued his music, creating public hearings of his work in memory of him. Alongside her second husband, they also released a biography of his life. In short, she unintentionally had created the music industry.

19th Century
At this period of time, sheet music dominated the music industry. It was fast selling and very appealing to the general public. In America, it rose alongside the increase in popularity of 'blackface minstrels'. In the latter part of the century, the group which dominated the market were known as Tin Pan Alley. They were a group of music publishes and songwriters from New York.

20th Century
The Thomas Edison creation of the phonograph and the widespread introduction of the radio changed the way in which music would be heard forever. Opera and other theatrical performances were still shown in halls and performed live, but it also meant that lesser known artists were able to produce their music worldwide through the introduction of the radio.
The record industry became the dominant force in the industry over the original sheet music format. Columbia Records and Pathé were among the first record publishes to spread their music worldwide.Many companies 'died' very quickly up to the late 1980's. However the 'Big 6' have remained strong throughout, they are: EMI, CBS, BMG, Polygram, WEA and MCA. Sony later bought CBS in 1987 and changed its name to SonyMusic in 91. Also, Polygram merged with MCA to form Universal Music Group, turning the 'Big 6' into the 'Big 5'. The introduction of broader genres such as folk music began. Also, independent labels, otherwise known as 'indie', were a popular choice for up and coming artists to choose, despite heavy financial backing for much larger affiliated labels.