Globalization and Music - Research Paper Example

Globalization and Music Introduction The recent sensation of music across the world offers an avenue for human encounter and social life during a period of globalization. Globalization is a phenomenon that commenced in the 1990’s to characterize a world in which culture and capital move freely across nations and regions. One of the notable elements of globalization is technological innovation. The development of novel recording and production technologies during the late 19th century generated opportunities and openings for music in terms of composition, reproduction and distribution (Achterberg et al. 4). In numerous regions across the world, the first few decades of the 20th century marked the immense movement of music across the world. One notable group that profited from the upsurge of technological innovation was the Beatles whose performance was the first to be satellite broadcast all over the world. The Beatles had also travelled all over the world and had made records in different languages. Arguably, the Beatles in many ways represented the first globalization of music and entertainment. This group had travelled to countries in Asia and Europe where they had performances. Another example is that of Bob Marley who became an internationally renowned music star in the 1970’s (Achterberg et al. 5). This wave of world music is as a result of the numerous waves of distribution, exchange, appropriation and movement. Notably, the changes in technology have also brought about the evolution of music through the advent of novel hybrid styles of music. These technologies are almost in all regions of the world and have allowed musicians and producers to reproduce music that appeals to all. Globalization and Brazilian Music Brazilian music seems to have evolved just like the political demonstrators in the streets of the Brazilian city, Rio de Janeiro. Brazilians seem to have generated an amusing, trendy and revitalizing new culture that has been manifested in their music. The Brazilian music industry has seen the introduction of novel hybrid styles that emanate from global impacts online. The advent of the internet has allowed people from different corners of the world to exchange and appropriate music, allowing musicians and producers to borrow new and improved music styles. Some of the music styles that have been influenced through the online global effect are the soulful rap of Criolo and the afrobeat of Rodrigo Campos (Beauntmont-Thomas 1). Additionally, the movement of musicians to other parts of the world has resulted to the globalization of music. This movement is seen through the current tour to United Kingdom by Brazilian musicians. These include Santtana, Graveola and Amarantos. Santtana’s music incorporates a blend of music styles that go beyond Brazilian borders. Santtana is quoted having said that he views his music as international since Brazilian music incorporates influences from other foreign music genres. In his album, Santtana incorporates numerous music styles such as European electronica and “technobrega” of North Brazil. However, the success of most of the Brazilian musicians is the internet. The internet has offered Brazilian music a global access allowing the musicians to incorporate other cultures and music styles (Beauntmont-Thomas 1). Globalization and Haiti Music Haiti music also seems to have evolved overtime and has also been influenced immensely by African slave trade and the European culture. The European influence can be attributed to the French musical influence on Haiti Music (Walko 1). Additionally, Haiti music has also been considerably influenced by the Spanish-speaking nations that border Haiti. These nations led to the development of the Spanish-instilled music styles. Haiti has exceptional music styles educed from compass and the voodoo ceremonial customs. The development of the voodoo music in Haiti has been associated with the movement of people especially the African slaves who brought about the dancing and spirit possession associated with the music. The beliefs that came with the African slaves brought about the rara festivals and music (Factual World 1). The movement of people played a part in the rara music of Haiti. Notably, the immigration of the Spanish into Hispaniola gave birth to the Rara festivals where rara music is played for two weeks through bands in the streets (Walko 1). The most popular Haiti music includes mizik rasin, compas, mini-jazz, zouk and Haitian rap. Compas is a style of music that developed from the mixture of the Haiti’s culture and the European ballroom dancing. Compas initially constituted European dances with music that had borrowed some styles from African music (Walko 1). However, the 20th century saw the influence of compass by numerous styles of music including salsa, soca, Cuban and calypso. Compas has also evolved in its theme from fighting against authoritarianism to modern themes such as heterosexual love relations and male chauvinism (Factual World 1). The mini-jazz was engendered by the fusion of the French and American pop music style. In the late 20th century, zouk became one of the successful music genres by incorporating numerous Caribbean styles such as salsa, compass and calypso. The zouk gave rise to a new breed of artists who integrated hip hop, jazz and rock and roll into compas. Globalization and American Music Globalization in American music is a topic that has been there for the past two decades. This has to a great extent been attributed to the development and introduction of new and improved recording and production technologies and the internet that has been used to spread the contents to all other parts of the world. The circulation and successive transformation of music in America has also been attributed to human migration (Achterberg et al. 10-12). The African music was introduced into America in the 18th century and gave rise to the African American music culture. This music culture later in the late 20th century spread to almost all parts of the world thanks to the internet. It is during the 20th century that the African Caribbean genre of music moved from Jamaica and Mexico to New York. Technological innovation is one of the significant aspects of globalization that aided in the globalization of music in America. The Beatles were the first band to have their performance satellite broadcast across the world. The Beatles incorporated distinct genres of music such as the R&B, Caribbean, Indian and British music styles. The American music can be described as a music genre that was borrowed from other cultures. It has also evolved to include all other genres from Africa, Caribbean and the Europe (Achterberg et al. 13-14). Conclusion It is apparent that the development of novel and hybrid information and communication technologies, the development of the recording and production industry and the movement of people from one region to another assisted music to move to all corners. The global growth of the music production industry has given birth to a new transnational culture and genre of music. At present, any music can be heard anywhere because of the incorporation of numerous genres. Works Cited Achterberg, Peter, Johan Heilbron, Dick Houtman, and Stef Aupers. "A Cultural Globalization of Popular Music? American, Dutch, French, and German Popular Music Charts (1965 to 2006)." American Behavioral Scientist 1.1 (2011): 1-28. Print. Beauntmont-Thomas, Ben. "Brazils music revolution: the new stars remaking a nations culture." The Guardian 23 July 2013: n. pag. Web. 21 June 2012. . Factual World. "Music of Haiti." FactualWorld. N.p., Jan. 2014. Web. 22 June 2014. . Walko, Kimberly. "ATH 175 Peoples of the World." www.units.muohio.edu. N.p., 2004. Web. 22 June 2014. . Read More