Selects: What was Tin Pan Alley?
In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, the hosts explore the history of Tin Pan Alley, a New York City street that became the birthplace of America's pop music industry. They explain how sheet music publishers built a thriving business model in the pre-recording era, employing "song pluggers" like Irving Berlin and George Gershwin to promote their music in piano shops across the city.
The episode examines Tin Pan Alley's complex cultural impact, from its role in launching the careers of major American composers to its practice of adapting African-American music for white audiences. The hosts discuss how the industry's business practices affected songwriters and how the rise of radio and recorded music eventually led to Tin Pan Alley's decline, while also addressing current debates about its historical preservation.
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1-Page Summary
Music Publishing's Birth and Rise In Tin Pan Alley
Before the age of recorded music, sheet music was the primary way Americans experienced music at home. The emergence of Tin Pan Alley, located on 28th Street in New York City, marked the birth of America's pop music industry.
Tin Pan Alley's Publishing Model
The success of Tin Pan Alley was built on several key factors. The widespread presence of pianos in American homes, combined with stronger copyright laws protecting music, created a robust market for sheet music. Publishers employed "song pluggers" - including future stars like Irving Berlin and George Gershwin - to promote songs in piano shops and other venues. However, the industry often exploited songwriters, frequently buying songs outright from unknown composers and sometimes altering or removing their names.
Cultural Legacy and Racial Implications
Tin Pan Alley's influence on American music was significant but complex. Publishers adapted African-American music genres like ragtime for mainstream white audiences, often simplifying complex rhythms and perpetuating racial stereotypes through minstrel shows. Despite these problematic aspects, Tin Pan Alley produced enduring classics and nurtured legendary composers. Irving Berlin, who started as a song plugger, went on to earn substantial royalties and established ASCAP to protect artists' copyrights.
The industry eventually declined with the advent of radio and recorded music, as people no longer needed sheet music to enjoy music at home. Josh Clark notes that debates continue about designating Tin Pan Alley as a historic landmark, reflecting its complicated legacy as both a cradle of American popular music and a site of cultural appropriation.
1-Page Summary
Additional Materials
Clarifications
- Tin Pan Alley was a hub of music publishing in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, located in New York City. It played a crucial role in popularizing American music through the production and distribution of sheet music. The area was known for its innovative publishing model, which involved employing song pluggers to promote songs and adapting various music genres for mainstream audiences. Despite its cultural impact, Tin Pan Alley faced criticism for issues like exploitation of songwriters and perpetuation of racial stereotypes.
- "Song pluggers" were individuals hired by music publishers to promote and popularize songs. They would showcase these songs in various settings like piano shops and theaters to attract attention and increase sales of sheet music. Song pluggers played a crucial role in marketing music before the era of recorded music and radio. Prominent song pluggers like Irving Berlin and George Gershwin helped launch many successful songs and advance their careers in the music industry.
- Songwriters in the early music industry were often taken advantage of by publishers who would purchase their songs outright, sometimes for very low prices. Additionally, publishers would sometimes alter or remove the names of the original composers, diminishing their recognition and potential royalties. This practice of exploiting songwriters was common in Tin Pan Alley and other music publishing hubs, highlighting the power dynamics and challenges faced by many composers during that era.
- Tin Pan Alley adapted African-American music genres like ragtime for mainstream white audiences, often simplifying complex rhythms and perpetuating racial stereotypes through minstrel shows.
- ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, was founded in 1914 to protect the rights of music creators by ensuring they received fair compensation for the public performance of their works. It operates as a performing rights organization, collecting royalties on behalf of its members whenever their music is performed publicly. ASCAP plays a crucial role in monitoring and licensing the use of music across various platforms, including radio, TV, live performances, and digital streaming services. By enforcing copyright laws and negotiating licensing agreements, ASCAP helps artists and composers earn royalties for their creative work.
Counterarguments
- While Tin Pan Alley was significant, it was not the sole birthplace of America's pop music industry; other cities and communities also contributed to its development.
- The success of Tin Pan Alley can also be attributed to the rise of a middle class with leisure time and disposable income, not just the presence of pianos and copyright laws.
- The role of song pluggers was not unique to Tin Pan Alley; similar practices were used in other parts of the music industry.
- The exploitation of songwriters was not exclusive to Tin Pan Alley; it was a widespread issue in the music industry that continues in various forms today.
- The adaptation of African-American music by Tin Pan Alley publishers can be seen as a form of cultural exchange and appreciation, not solely appropriation and stereotype perpetuation.
- The decline of Tin Pan Alley was influenced by multiple factors, including changes in public taste and the Great Depression, not just the advent of radio and recorded music.
- The debate over Tin Pan Alley's designation as a historic landmark may also consider the broader context of New York's cultural history and the preservation of music heritage, not just its complicated legacy.
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Music Publishing's Birth and Rise In Tin Pan Alley
The birth of music distribution can be traced back to the era before phonographs and records when sheet music was the primary means of music accessibility.
Tin Pan Alley: Birthplace of U.S. Pop Music Industry
Before Tin Pan Alley became the heart of the U.S. pop music industry, music was largely experienced live or through sheet music at home.
Before Tin Pan Alley, Music Was Heard Live or via Sheet Music at Home
If anyone wanted to listen to music, they could either attend a live performance, ranging from barbershop quartets to orchestras or have a piano in the home and play music themselves. Before "Wait Till the Clouds Rolled By," which marked America's first number one pop music hit, sheet music was mainly for church hymns and school music.
Ubiquitous Pianos and Stronger Copyright Laws Boosted Sheet Music Growth
The widespread presence of pianos in American homes and the spread of music instruction drove up demand for sheet music as an alternative to live music. Additionally, the solidification of copyright laws in the United States during the 19th century increased the value of sheet music. The significant shift came when the Supreme Court extended copyright protection to music written outside America, making American music that required payment for copyrights more attractive.
Tin Pan Alley Publishers Capitalized On This Market, Establishing an Assembly-Line Model For Songs
Tin Pan Alley exploited this burgeoning market and was ultimately responsible for selling sheet music to the masses. The first hit out of Tin Pan Alley, "Wait Till the Clouds Roll By," sold 75,000 copies of sheet music in 1881. The assembly-line model that Tin Pan Alley devised created an industry adept at discerning public interest.
Tin Pan Alley Music Publishing Practices and Models
Tin Pan Alley's approach to music production and distribution was both innovative and exploitative.
Tin Pan Alley Hired "Song Pluggers" to Sell Songs
Publishers would employ "song pluggers," musicians tasked with playing songs in piano shops and other venues to market them. This form of advertising was crucial before the age of radio. Notables like Irving Berlin and George Gershwin started in these roles.
Publishers Exploited Songwriters, Stripping Rights and Control
Publishers frequently employed dubious methods with songwriters, such ...
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Music Publishing's Birth and Rise In Tin Pan Alley
Additional Materials
Actionables
- Explore the history of music distribution by creating a personal playlist that follows the evolution from sheet music to digital formats. Start by selecting a piece of classical music available in sheet music form, then find the same piece in its earliest recorded version, and follow its progression through various media formats up to the current streaming version. This will give you a sensory timeline of how music distribution has changed.
- Honor the legacy of Tin Pan Alley by writing your own song using the constraints they faced, such as aiming for mass appeal and simplicity. Use a basic instrument like a piano or guitar and try to compose a melody and lyrics that could have been a hit in that era. Share your creation on social media or with friends to connect with the collaborative spirit of Tin Pan Alley.
- Reflect on t ...
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Tin Pan Alley's Cultural Legacy: Influence on American Music and Racial Implications
Tin Pan Alley played a transformative role in the creation and popularization of American music, yet its legacy is complex, involving racial appropriation and exploitation as well as influential artistry.
Tin Pan Alley's Role In Popularizing African-American Music Genres
Tin Pan Alley's publishers and producers adapted African-American music genres like ragtime for mainstream audiences, simplifying complex rhythms to create catchy and easy-to-play tunes. This process made the music palatable to white audiences, which held the majority of economic power at the time.
Publishers Simplified Styles For Mainstream Appeal
By simplifying styles like ragtime, Tin Pan Alley popified them for broader appeal. However, this often meant "dumbing down" the music to reach the largest possible audience.
Tin Pan Alley: Racial Stereotypes vs. African-American Artistic Expression
White Tin Pan Alley publishers and producers co-opted African-American music for minstrel shows, perpetuating racial stereotypes. They shamefully used the unique music of artists like Scott Joplin, significant to Harlem Renaissance, within these derogatory frameworks.
Tin Pan Alley's Enduring Impact on American Songbook and Popular Music Canon
Despite its controversial aspects, Tin Pan Alley greatly influenced the American Songbook and popular music, birthing thousands of songs that remain classics.
Tin Pan Alley's Iconic Songs and Composers: Irving Berlin, George Gershwin
Tin Pan Alley produced enduring songs and nurtured legendary composers such as Irving Berlin, who began as a song plugger and George Gershwin. Berlin later established his own music publishing house, earning $100,000 a year in royalties by 1917. These songs, including "Ain't She Sweet," "Baby Face," and "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," have become enduring standards.
Irving Berlin also contributed significantly to the industry by creating ASCAP, protecting artists' copyrights. Josh Clark points out Berlin's "Let's Have Another Cup of Coffee" as an iconic product of this era.
Radio and Recorded Music End Tin Pan Alley Sheet Music Model
The advent of radio and recor ...
Here’s what you’ll find in our full summary
Tin Pan Alley's Cultural Legacy: Influence on American Music and Racial Implications
Additional Materials
Actionables
- Explore the origins of your favorite music by tracing its influences back to early American genres like ragtime. Start by identifying a current song you enjoy, research its genre, and then delve into the history of that genre to find its roots in American music. For example, if you like jazz, you might discover its connections to ragtime and then listen to original ragtime pieces to appreciate the evolution of the style.
- Create a playlist that showcases the progression of American music from Tin Pan Alley to modern times. Include songs from different eras, starting with Tin Pan Alley classics, moving through the decades, and ending with contemporary tracks that have been influenced by those earlier sounds. This will give you a personal soundtrack that illustrates the development of American music over time.
- Reflect on the complexities of cultur ...
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