In 1930, the union of American singers spent the equivalent of $10m on a campaign to stop people from listening to recorded music and watching movies with sound. 1/ pic.twitter.com/3RYcgB9KjV
— Dror Poleg (@drorpoleg) December 28, 2022
When films were silent, theatres employed local musicians to accompany each screening. But once films gained a soundtrack, local musicians were no longer necessary.
The economic implications were significant: 2/ pic.twitter.com/NmBDvUUOEd
— Dror Poleg (@drorpoleg) December 28, 2022
The advent of records, radio, and talking films made creative work scalable:
"300 musicians in Hollywood supply all the 'music' offered in thousands of theatres. Can such a tiny reservoir of talent nurture artistic progress?" 5/ pic.twitter.com/jgov4fmuOU
— Dror Poleg (@drorpoleg) December 28, 2022