Communication professor, Dr. Kyle Barnett, has carved out a distinctive niche in research related to recording industry history. He shares some of that insight in a chapter he authored in the new book "Convergence Media History," out in late June from Routledge Press. Dr. Barnett took a few moments to discuss his research and his contribution, "The Recording Industry's Role in Media History."
Could you briefly summarize the chapter you wrote?
The article is an argument for the inclusion of the recording industry in media history. It's been largely absent in media histories of film, television, and radio to date. I encourage looking at record companies -- and media companies in general -- as cultural institutions in flux, with their own attitudes, motivations, and values that come into play through the course of their work. So-called "cultural industry" research is only applied to contemporary recording companies.
What are some examples from earlier dates that stand out in your mind?
I try to link media history with cultural industry research through a case study, focused on Gennett Records, a little known 1920s record label based in Richmond, Indiana, that had wide international reach during its short existence. The label was the first to challenge the "Big Three" record labels of the 1920s (Columbia, Victor, and Edison).
How does that translate to the current state of the industry?
In the last section, titled "Everything New is Old Again," I compare the recording industry's near collapse in the early 1930s with contemporary dynamics in the industry with the rise of audio file-sharing technologies. In short, I say the sky has fallen before. And that if we know our history, we can start to understand repeating trends over time.
See an overview of Convergence Media History here.
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