1. HUMN 341 Q1-WW Assignment 2-1: Culture & Society Interactions1980-Present: Music (Rock) Presented by Jordan Johnson July 31, 2010

2. A decade is often defined by its music. Nowhere is that more true than in the timeframe between 1980 an the present. Each decade saw its own musical styles and fashions While each decade saw a diverse cornucopia of musical styles, every decade was distinctly unique from the next.

3. The 80’s The 1980s was a decade of revolutionary changes on the music scene. The two major developments were the advent of MTV and the compact disc. Music became more diverse, with new wave, heavy metal, rap, techno pop, alternative rock and the "new" country sounds. Music became a huge marketing tool as filmmakers, TV producers and manufacturers of everything from sneakers to soft drinks used hit songs and hot performers to sell their products.

4. MTV MTV was called "illustrated radio" and a "subliminal fashion show" by its detractors, who complained that it elevated image over music. Daryl Hall, of the pop duo Hall and Oates, said that "the visual has begun to overpower the music." But music videos revived an industry that was in decline in 1979, when revenues plunged 10% in a single year. Video dance clubs sprang up everywhere. Radio played a wider variety of music.

5. Hair Metal 80s hair bands ruled the airwaves. Managing to somehow combine gallons of Aquanet, pounds of purple eye shadow and undeniable masculinity, 80s hair bands turned music on its head when it appeared. Popular Bands included: -Guns-N-Roses -Poison -Bon Jovi The music, which emanated from the center of the hair band universe – Los Angeles-combined elements of glam and metal, but added a touch of pure pop. Although they didn’t invent them, hair bands also get a lot of the credit for a now largely defunct style of song: the power ballad. Power ballads are love songs with an edge – the quintessential raise-your-lighter-at-the-show songs.

6. Punk Rock Though punk rock's first wave was a strictly '70s phenomenon, the form most certainly bled into the '80s, primarily on America's West Coast, where scores of bands forged a more concentrated, speedy and aggressive form of punk called hardcore. Many bands used punk as an inspiration to create their own unique post-punk blends. Popular Punk Bands: -The Misfits -Sex Pistols -Bad Religion

7. The 90’s The reign of hair bands and the fun-loving times of the 80’s were destroyed as the 90’s ushered in a new form of music: grunge. Hip-hop and Rap which had formed its roots in the 80’s soon gained extreme popularity as Gangster Rap took to the airwaves

8. Grunge Grunge became commercially successful in the first half of the 1990s, due mainly to the release of Nirvana's Nevermind and Pearl Jam's Ten. The success of these bands boosted the popularity of alternative rock and made grunge the most popular form of hard rock music at the time. The “Seattle” Sound Popular Grunge Bands: -Nirvana -Alice in Chains -Soundgarden -Pearl Jam

9. Hip-Hop/Rap The roots of hip hop are found in African-American music and ultimately African music. Hip hop arose during the 1970s when block parties became increasingly popular in New York City, particularly in the Bronx, where African American and Puerto Rican influences combined. The “Golden Age” of Hip-Hop and Rap coalesced around the beginning of the 90’s Popular Hip-Hop/Rap Artists -MC Hammer -Dr. Dre & Snoop Dog -Tupac -Vanilla Ice

10. 2000-Present Day The 2000’s saw a shift in musical preferences from the hardcore musical scene of the 90’s. The preferred musical style of the decade had a decidedly more poppy feel than previous decades. Bands such as N’Sync and Britney Spears dominated the musical landscape

11. Teen Pop and Boy Bands Artists like Christina Aguilera and Jessica Simpson found large audiences in the 2000’s Boy Bands like Backstreet Boys and N’Sync enjoyed enormous popularity Despite huge commercial success, the lifespan of the “Teen Pop” and “Boy Band” era was short-lived

12. Conclusion Music towards the end of the 2000’s had seen a substantive decline. Many bands and artists were seen as lacking creativity and copying previous work. As music transitioned its format to digital, the record industry was reeling from losses in CD sales as MP3’s became the format of choice. The music scene of today is very different from that of just 20 years ago. Artists focus on singles instead of albums and music as a whole has lost its creative fire.