80 Years of Popular Music

Abstract

The music industry nets 15 billion dollars a year, and unlike many other industries, is largely immune to market fluctuations. If we are to believe that people vote with their money, the average American must value music enough to sacrifice other aspects of his/her life to avoid a decrease in spending on music. Music is also an expense that spans individuals across the economic spectrum. This makes research into pop music relevant to a majority of people. This paper will use recent advances in the availability of data on music to draw conclusions on how musical tastes change in the face of changing economic, political and social times.