H85.1204 History & Criticism 4 Credits
Instructor(s): Jason King
This course offers students a cultural and social history of music impresarios – the trailblazing, titanic entrepreneurs who shaped the direction of the 20th century music industry by launching superstar artists, popularizing musical niches, and exploring innovative and synergistic commercial ventures. Reading biographies and essays, we’ll consider how these powerful, and often eccentric, visionaries created their empires. Along the way we’ll address the larger history of entrepreneurship in Western culture; longstanding debates about corporate concentration and conglomeration; gender, race and ethnicity in entrepreneurship; the ups and downs of major record labels like Warner and CBS; and the triumphs and failures of independents. Case studies may include: John Hammond, Goddard Lieberson, Ahmet Ertegun, Berry Gordy, Chet Atkins, Sylvia Rhone, David Geffen, Clive Davis, Steve Ross, Chris Blackwell, Quincy Jones, Robert Stigwood, Ralph Mercado, Russell Simmons, and Sean "Diddy" Combs. Special guests and class trips will be scheduled where appropriate.
