Music for the People Popular Music and Dance in Interwar Britain [Hardcover]

Popular Music was a powerful and persistent influence in the daily life of millions in interwar Britain, yet these crucial years in the development of the popular music industry have rarely been the subject of detailed investigation. For the first time, here is a comprehensive survey of the British popular music industry and its audience. The book examines the changes to popular music and the industry and their impact on British society and culture from 1918-1939. It looks at the businesses involved in the supply of popular music, how the industry organised itself, and who controlled it. It attempts to establish the size of the audience for popular music and to determine who this audience was. Finally, it considers popular music itself - how the music changed, which music was the most popular, and how certain genres were made available to the public.

Introduction
The Mechanised Popular Music Industry
1. The Rise of the Gramophone and the Development of the British Gramophone Industry
2. The Role of the Gramophone in Daily Life in Interwar Britain and its Effect on Musical Culture
3. Radio, Cinema, and Popular Music in Interwar Britain
The Live Popular Music Industry
4. Developments in Live Music 1918 to 1939: From Performers to Listeners
5. Live Music: Dance Bands, Dance Music, and Dance Musicians
6. The Expansion and Development of the Dance Hall Industry
7. The Experience of Dancing, Dance Halls, and the Dance Culture 1918-1939
Popular Music and Popular Music Artists
8. Tastes in Popular Music 1918-1939
Conclusion

Through an examination of topics such as the gramophone, radio, and dance halls, Nott convincingly documents the influence of the burgeoning music industry. In this way, the book complements recent scholarship on other facets of interwar mass entertainment. Nott relies on a wide range of archival and periodical material from the music inlz