How the Music Industry Marketed Non-Politicized Folk Music
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After the 2016 presidential election, many people in the music industry were left feeling disenchanted with the current political climate. In an effort to create a more apolitical landscape, some artists and labels began marketing non-politicized folk music. This blog post takes a look at how the music industry marketed this type of music in the wake of the 2016 presidential election.
The music industry’s history of marketing non-politicized folk music
The music industry has a long history of marketing non-politicized folk music. This began in the early 20th century when record labels and radio stations began to promote the music of rural white Americans. The industry continued this trend in the post-war era with the rise of country music. In more recent years, the industry has continued to market non-politicized folk music through the likes of refuse and indie-folk.
The early days of the music industry and folk music
The music industry has a long history of marketing non-politicized folk music. In the early days of the music industry, record companies Were more interested in profit than in political message, and they saw little value in marketing music with a political message. This changed in the 1960s, when the protest movement and the civil rights movement began to gain traction. Record companies began to see the potential for profit in marketing music with a political message, and they began to sign folk musicians who were willing to sing about political issues.
This trend continued into the 1970s, when the punk rock movement gave birth to a new generation of politically minded musicians. Punk rockers were often critical of the music industry, and they saw little value in working within the mainstream music industry. However, some punk rockers did find success within the industry, and they used their platform to speak out against social injustice and promote their political beliefs.
Today, there is a new generation of politically minded musicians who are using their platform to speak out against social injustice and promote their political beliefs. The music industry has changed since the days when it was dominated by record companies, and it is now possible for musicians to self-publish their music and reach a wide audience without signing with a major label. This new generation of musicians is bringing fresh energy and ideas to the world of politicized folk music, and they are helping to ensure that this genre continues to grow and evolve.
The rise of the counterculture and the politicization of folk music
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, a new wave of politicized folk music emerged. This music was often associated with the counterculture, a movement that rejected the mainstream values of the time. Many of these songs were protest songs that critiqued social injustice and spoke out against the Vietnam War. This music was often seen as a threat by the music industry, which responded by marketing non-politicized folk music as a way to appeal to a wider audience.
This strategy was successful for a time, but eventually the industry’s attempts to downplay the political messages in folk music backfired. In the 1980s and 1990s, many musicians began to openly embrace their political beliefs, and folk music once again became a vehicle for social change. Today, there is a rich tradition of politicized folk music that speaks out against injustice and celebrates diversity.
The music industry’s response to the politicization of folk music
In the early 1960s, as the civil rights movement was gathering steam and young people were increasingly drawn to protest music, the music industry began to worry that folk music would become too closely associated with political causes. In an effort to distance folk music from politics and preserve its commercial appeal, the industry began marketing folk music as apolitical and apathetic. This strategy was incredibly successful, and for decades the vast majority of folk musicians avoided any association with politics.
However, in recent years there has been a resurgence of politicized folk music, as musicians have begun to use their platforms to speak out on social and political issues. This new wave of folk music has been met with renewed interest from the public, and it seems clear that the industry’s attempts to keep folk music apolitical are no longer working.
How the music industry marketed non-politicized folk music
In the 1950s, the US music industry was marketing non-politicized folk music to a wide range of people. They did this by change the way the music was presented and by using new marketing techniques. This helped to make folk music more popular and to reach a wider audience.
The use of traditional media
The use of traditional media, such as television and radio, was key in the marketing of non-politicized folk music in the 1960s. This type of music was often seen as a way to escape the politics of the time, and so advertising tended to focus on the more relaxing and pleasant aspects of the genre. This approach was particularly effective in the US, where folk music was seen as a form of Americana that could be enjoyed by everyone.
In the past decade, there has been a surge in the use of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. This has given artists a new way to connect with their fans and promote their music. In the case of folk music, this has allowed for a non-politicized form of the genre to be marketed to a wider audience.
By using social media, folk artists have been able to reach new audiences who may not have otherwise been exposed to their music. In addition, social media has allowed for a more personal connection between artist and fan. This has led to a resurgence in popularity for the genre, as well as a renewed interest in its history and origins.
The use of marketing campaigns
In the early 1960s, the music industry began to actively market non-politicized folk music as part of a broader countercultural youth movement. This shift was driven by a number of factors, including the growing popularity of Bob Dylan and other politically minded folk musicians, the declining popularity of rock and roll, and the rise of the anti-war and civil rights movements.
To appeal to this new market, music companies began to produce and promote folk music that was deliberately apolitical. They also started using marketing campaigns that emphasized the personal and social benefits of folk music, rather than its political messages. These campaigns were highly successful, and helped to make folk music one of the most popular genres of the 1960s.
The results of the music industry’s marketing of non-politicized folk music
In the past decade, the music industry has been successful in marketing non-politicized folk music to a mainstream audience. This is a shift from the industry’s focus on politicized folk music, which had been the norm for the previous few decades. The results of this shift are evident in the popularity of non-politicized folk artists and the decline in popularity of politicized folk artists.
The success of the marketing campaigns
The results of the music industry’s marketing of non-politicized folk music were largely successful. The music industry was able to tap into the growing market for folk music and produce a number of commercially successful artists. The campaigns also helped to legitimize folk music as a viable genre, and helped to increase its popularity.
The impact of the marketing campaigns
The 1960s and 1970s saw a tremendous surge in the popularity of folk music. This was in part due to the success of artists like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, but it was also due to the way that the music industry marketed folk music. For the most part, the industry downplayed the political aspects of folk music and instead focused on its ability to appeal to a wide range of people.
This change in focus had a significant impact on the way that folk music was perceived by the public. It helped to make it seem like a less threatening and more accessible form of music, which in turn made it more popular. The marketing campaigns of the music industry had a profound impact on the folk music scene, and they helped to shape the sound of folk music for generations to come.
The legacy of the marketing campaigns
In the latter half of the 20th century, the music industry made a concerted effort to market non-politicized folk music to the American public. This was done in response to the political and social upheaval of the 1960s, which had led to a decline in sales of folk music. The industry’s marketing campaigns were successful, and non-politicized folk music became one of the most popular genres in the United States.
However, these marketing campaigns also had a lasting impact on how non-politicized folk music was perceived by the public. In particular, they encouraged the idea that non-politicized folk music was apolitical and uninterested in social issues. This perception is still prevalent today, and it has led to a significant decline in sales of non-politicized folk music over the past few decades.
