Economy of the Ether: Early Radio History and the Commodification of Music

Abstract

IntroductionHistory offers many examples of events that are unduly neglected because they do not memorialize an individual of charismatic personality, have timelines with a quantifiable beginning and end, or possess some other narrative device for easily communicating their story. complex history of early radio often results in an oversimplification of the facts, as the narrative of its creation becomes obscure nearly before it begins. A technical history of tuners, tubes, and transistors would serve radio well as a chronicle of its evolution as a workable device, but such a history is of interest only to those with the requisite expertise to appreciate its nuance. Similarly, a legislative account of the various radio and communication acts of the twentieth century has merit, but it lacks the intimacy of human interest to which great history aspires. An under-explored methodology examines radio as an influence upon the commodification of popular music. This article delineates such an approach by establishing a theoretical framework for the process of commodification, applying this framework to the early history of radio, and concluding with some observations about the future of radio and popular music.The Process of CommodificationCulture scholar Stuart Hall noted the difficulties a periodisation of popular culture involves, though he offered the 1880s-1920s as a broad era of its genesis.1 Sometimes called The Gilded Age in American history, this period is marked by profound advances in scientific, economic, and artistic pursuits. It is also the era in which America emerges as a world power. While founding fathers such as George Washington and Benjamin Franklin defined the first one hundred years of the nation's history, industrialist inventors such as Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse defined the next one hundred years. Edison in particular, perhaps more than any other man of his day, had a knack for recognizing the commercial utility of invention.2 His belief that the value of a new discovery was commensurate with its potential for monetization has become a bedrock principle of modem American capitalism.While he acknowledged the impact that Edison's phonograph, and later radio, had on the commodification of music, ethnomusicologist Timothy D. Taylor defended a theoretical basis for the process by which music became commoditized through scrutinizing the evolution of the player piano.3 By applying the concepts of Ideologies, Reification, and Fetishism to player piano advertisements, Taylor revealed several similarities between the economic behavior of music and that of traditional commodities.4 Whether or not an intangible product, such as music, can become a commodity in the purest sense is contingent upon how much room for abstraction is given to its definition.5 Still, despite any difficulties of classification that arise, the common language that these ideas offer is a convenient place to begin an exploration of how technology and mass communication have fundamentally changed the business of music.It is clear that from the late nineteenth century on, music evolved from a primarily personal, cultural, and religious enterprise to become a highly commercialized entity. Taylor highlighted the central role that music technology and music products play in this phenomenon:The production and dissemination of music involves a wide range of technological artifacts: violins, pianos, tin whistles, radios, CD players, MP3 players, and so forth. Each of these technologies exists as a separate commodity-yet inextricably intertwined with the musical commodities they contribute to producing.6He also identified ideologies of democratization and personal autonomy as crucial stratagems used by player piano advertisers to hawk their wares.7 Ideologies of democratization took a three-pronged approach by promoting: 1) access to music in the home, 2) the ability of anyone to play music using a player piano, and 3) the availability of more and more music as the library of player piano rolls expands. …