Jenkins, Chadwick. “Selling Sounds: The Commercial Revolution in American Music.” PopMatters 19 June 2009 19 June 2009 <http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/95063-selling-sounds-by-david-suisman/>.
A review of David Suisman’s book, Selling Sounds: The Commercial Revolution in American Music, Chadwick Jenkins covers the basic history of the development of popular music at the turn of the century. The Witmark brothers created the market for published music with their steam-powered printing press. Before them, popular music was limited to local sensations and the few exceptions did not make it big in today’s sense of fame and fortune. The innovation of the printing music made it possible for popular music to become popular on a grander scale.
The review also looks into the career of music-pushers, who were the salesmen of music back in the day. They would play the song at retail counters and would try to win the opinion of the sales girls behind the counters by dedicating the songs to them and buying them perfume. The new market made music a more urgent commodity, as you had to buy today’s music today before it became yesterday’s music. The invention of the gramophone also aided the evolution of the music industry. Jenkins writes that Suisman tells the story accurately and the book is very enlightening.
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