A paper about Danceland Records, a British record label of the late 1940s and early 1950s from the One Century of Record Labels conference, University of Newcastle, 6/7th November 2014
The document outlines the aims and structure of a research project on the history of the UK's Musicians Union. It discusses the origins of the union in the late 19th century and provides criticism of its stances over the years from being seen as reactionary in opposing new technologies to protecting British musicians' jobs. The relationship between the union and Phonographic Performance Ltd, which collects royalties for recorded music, is examined in relation to agreements over live music and broadcasting.
The Musicians' Union formed in 1893 to protect musicians from unscrupulous employers and competition from amateurs. Throughout the 20th century, the Union resisted various technological innovations like multi-track recording and synthesizers that threatened musicians' live employment. Broadcasting initially increased work for entertainers in the 1920s, but "talkies" in film devastated the cinema orchestra industry in the 1930s, cutting Union membership in half as musicians lost their jobs. The Union viewed new technologies as disruptive threats to musicians' livelihoods.
This document summarizes the history of the relationship between the Musicians' Union (MU) and Phonographic Performance Ltd. (PPL) in the UK from the early 20th century to the late 1980s. It discusses key events like the formation of PPL in 1934 to collect fees for recorded music performances, agreements between the MU and PPL in 1946 and 1988, and the 1988 Monopolies and Mergers Commission report that weakened the MU's control over revenue distribution. The document analyzes how changes in copyright law, economic pressures, and the rise of neoliberal policies in the 1980s eroded the MU's formerly collaborative approach with PPL, shifting emphasis to individual musician services over collective benefits.
Conflict and Consensus: The Musicians' Union and industrial relations in the ...John Williamson
The document summarizes a research project on the history of the Musicians' Union in the UK and industrial relations in the British music profession. Over the past 120 years, the MU has influenced policy and working conditions for musicians in three key areas: pay and conditions for musicians, performers' rights, and supporting musical events. While facing challenges from changes in employment law and the music industry, the MU has taken a pragmatic approach by negotiating with employers and providing services to members.
This document provides an outline and introduction to a research project on the British Musicians' Union from 2012-2016. It discusses the brief history of the union, issues facing musicians as workers, and key challenges from changes in labor markets, technology and law. These included threats to live music work and the union's varying approaches to the rise of film, radio, recording and changes in copyright law. The conclusion questions the focus on 1955 as a watershed, suggesting conditions for rock music predated this.
All in it together? Organising musicians in the First World WarJohn Williamson
This document discusses the Amalgamated Musicians' Union (AMU) in the UK during World War 1. It describes how the AMU grew rapidly before the war to represent musicians, though there was still conflict within the profession. During the war, the AMU supported the war effort but advocated for musicians' interests, facing issues of pay cuts, competition from military musicians, and foreign refugees. After the war, the AMU worked to protect musicians' opportunities and merged with another union, though problems of pay, conditions, and competition remained unresolved.
Irish Labour History, Lecture 7 : The Middleman StateConor McCabe
The document discusses the political and social movements in 20th century Ireland, focusing on the Irish Labour movement from 1889 to 1924. It covers the rise of new unionism, James Connolly and the Irish Socialist Republican Party, Jim Larkin and "Larkinism", the 1913 Lockout and Irish Citizen Army, syndicalism from 1917 to 1921, and the civil war and retreat of the labour movement from 1921 to 1924. Required and supplementary reading materials on these topics from several authors are also listed.
The document outlines the aims and structure of a research project on the history of the UK's Musicians Union. It discusses the origins of the union in the late 19th century and provides criticism of its stances over the years from being seen as reactionary in opposing new technologies to protecting British musicians' jobs. The relationship between the union and Phonographic Performance Ltd, which collects royalties for recorded music, is examined in relation to agreements over live music and broadcasting.
The Musicians' Union formed in 1893 to protect musicians from unscrupulous employers and competition from amateurs. Throughout the 20th century, the Union resisted various technological innovations like multi-track recording and synthesizers that threatened musicians' live employment. Broadcasting initially increased work for entertainers in the 1920s, but "talkies" in film devastated the cinema orchestra industry in the 1930s, cutting Union membership in half as musicians lost their jobs. The Union viewed new technologies as disruptive threats to musicians' livelihoods.
This document summarizes the history of the relationship between the Musicians' Union (MU) and Phonographic Performance Ltd. (PPL) in the UK from the early 20th century to the late 1980s. It discusses key events like the formation of PPL in 1934 to collect fees for recorded music performances, agreements between the MU and PPL in 1946 and 1988, and the 1988 Monopolies and Mergers Commission report that weakened the MU's control over revenue distribution. The document analyzes how changes in copyright law, economic pressures, and the rise of neoliberal policies in the 1980s eroded the MU's formerly collaborative approach with PPL, shifting emphasis to individual musician services over collective benefits.
Conflict and Consensus: The Musicians' Union and industrial relations in the ...John Williamson
The document summarizes a research project on the history of the Musicians' Union in the UK and industrial relations in the British music profession. Over the past 120 years, the MU has influenced policy and working conditions for musicians in three key areas: pay and conditions for musicians, performers' rights, and supporting musical events. While facing challenges from changes in employment law and the music industry, the MU has taken a pragmatic approach by negotiating with employers and providing services to members.
This document provides an outline and introduction to a research project on the British Musicians' Union from 2012-2016. It discusses the brief history of the union, issues facing musicians as workers, and key challenges from changes in labor markets, technology and law. These included threats to live music work and the union's varying approaches to the rise of film, radio, recording and changes in copyright law. The conclusion questions the focus on 1955 as a watershed, suggesting conditions for rock music predated this.
All in it together? Organising musicians in the First World WarJohn Williamson
This document discusses the Amalgamated Musicians' Union (AMU) in the UK during World War 1. It describes how the AMU grew rapidly before the war to represent musicians, though there was still conflict within the profession. During the war, the AMU supported the war effort but advocated for musicians' interests, facing issues of pay cuts, competition from military musicians, and foreign refugees. After the war, the AMU worked to protect musicians' opportunities and merged with another union, though problems of pay, conditions, and competition remained unresolved.
Irish Labour History, Lecture 7 : The Middleman StateConor McCabe
The document discusses the political and social movements in 20th century Ireland, focusing on the Irish Labour movement from 1889 to 1924. It covers the rise of new unionism, James Connolly and the Irish Socialist Republican Party, Jim Larkin and "Larkinism", the 1913 Lockout and Irish Citizen Army, syndicalism from 1917 to 1921, and the civil war and retreat of the labour movement from 1921 to 1924. Required and supplementary reading materials on these topics from several authors are also listed.
This document summarizes the history of radio in the United States, from its early innovators to the development of shock jock radio. It discusses how radio progressed from having regular programming in the 1920s, to the topless radio format and shock jock era of the 1970s pushing boundaries with outrageous content. It specifically focuses on Howard Stern, describing his move to satellite radio in 2005 which allowed him to continue broadcasting indecent and profane content without FCC restrictions.
The document discusses the history of radio news from 1920 to 1950. It describes how the first radio broadcasts in the early 1920s were just brief news teasers but then expanded in the 1920s and 1930s with the introduction of daily newscasts and network news. The period from 1935 to 1950 is described as the "Golden Age" of radio news, where news became a regular part of programming and major networks developed their own news gathering operations. The summary concludes that television's rise in the late 1940s and the end of World War 2 began to taper off radio's golden age of news.
Radio broadcasting began in Britain in 1922 with the BBC establishing the first radio station. The BBC later introduced three additional stations - BBC Radio 1, BBC Home (now Radio 4), and BBC Light (now Radio 2). In the 1960s, pirate radio stations emerged and were popular, introducing new music genres. During World Wars I and II, radio was heavily used to communicate with those abroad and at home.
The document discusses several political and social events in Canada during the 1930s Depression era, including the establishment of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation party, William Aberhart and the Social Credit party in Alberta, Maurice Duplessis and the Union Nationale in Quebec, as well as the On-To-Ottawa Trek protest and the Regina Riot. Entertainment such as radio was important for Canadians to escape from hardship, leading the federal government to create the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission to promote Canadian content over American broadcasts.
This document defines broadcasting and discusses its history and methods. It explains that broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience using mass communication mediums like radio waves. Broadcasting began experimentally in the early 1900s and expanded with radio in the 1920s and television after World War II using new technologies. The document also outlines several economic models for broadcasting like commercial, public, and community models and distinguishes between recorded and live broadcasts.
The document summarizes technological advances in the 1920s like the development of radio broadcasting and networks, as well as advances in aviation such as transatlantic flights. It then discusses the onset of the Great Depression in the US starting in 1929. Key events included a 50% drop in farm income between 1929-1932, industry operating at half capacity, and over 12 million Americans becoming unemployed by 1932, representing a quarter of the workforce. President Hoover opposed direct federal relief and launched public works programs to address unemployment, but the worldwide scope of the Great Depression prevented any recovery.
This document summarizes the history of radio in the United States, from its early innovators to the development of shock jock radio. It discusses how radio progressed from having regular programming in the 1920s, to the topless radio format and shock jock era of the 1970s pushing boundaries with outrageous content. It specifically focuses on Howard Stern, describing his move to satellite radio in 2005 which allowed him to continue broadcasting indecent and profane content without FCC restrictions.
The document discusses the history of radio news from 1920 to 1950. It describes how the first radio broadcasts in the early 1920s were just brief news teasers but then expanded in the 1920s and 1930s with the introduction of daily newscasts and network news. The period from 1935 to 1950 is described as the "Golden Age" of radio news, where news became a regular part of programming and major networks developed their own news gathering operations. The summary concludes that television's rise in the late 1940s and the end of World War 2 began to taper off radio's golden age of news.
Radio broadcasting began in Britain in 1922 with the BBC establishing the first radio station. The BBC later introduced three additional stations - BBC Radio 1, BBC Home (now Radio 4), and BBC Light (now Radio 2). In the 1960s, pirate radio stations emerged and were popular, introducing new music genres. During World Wars I and II, radio was heavily used to communicate with those abroad and at home.
The document discusses several political and social events in Canada during the 1930s Depression era, including the establishment of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation party, William Aberhart and the Social Credit party in Alberta, Maurice Duplessis and the Union Nationale in Quebec, as well as the On-To-Ottawa Trek protest and the Regina Riot. Entertainment such as radio was important for Canadians to escape from hardship, leading the federal government to create the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission to promote Canadian content over American broadcasts.
This document defines broadcasting and discusses its history and methods. It explains that broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience using mass communication mediums like radio waves. Broadcasting began experimentally in the early 1900s and expanded with radio in the 1920s and television after World War II using new technologies. The document also outlines several economic models for broadcasting like commercial, public, and community models and distinguishes between recorded and live broadcasts.
The document summarizes technological advances in the 1920s like the development of radio broadcasting and networks, as well as advances in aviation such as transatlantic flights. It then discusses the onset of the Great Depression in the US starting in 1929. Key events included a 50% drop in farm income between 1929-1932, industry operating at half capacity, and over 12 million Americans becoming unemployed by 1932, representing a quarter of the workforce. President Hoover opposed direct federal relief and launched public works programs to address unemployment, but the worldwide scope of the Great Depression prevented any recovery.
1. Improper Recordings, Monopolies and Scab Musicians:
Danceland Records and the battle of the ballrooms
John Williamson, 7th November 2014
2. *
*Context – the British music profession
post Second World War
*Danceland Records – history and how
it operated
*The Musicians’ Union’s (MU) response
to Danceland
*The wider significance of Danceland –
copyright, live performance and
restrictive practices
3. *
*No records could be “played, used or performed, or
permitted to be played. . .at any theatre, music hall, dance
hall or other place of entertainment where:
* there was “a trade dispute directly affecting the rights
or interests of musicians”
*In complete or partial substitution for musicians
employed
*Where musicians could, having regard to the size and
nature of the theatre, music hall, dance hall or other
place of entertainment, be employed” (MU Executive Committee,
Report to Conference 1947: 23)
4. *
*To produce records which will:
*“require no licence from any dictatorial
or monopolistic body”
*“be in the correct tempo”
*“embody all ballroom and teaching
needs” and
*“can be played in public, as desired,
without the need of making any returns”
(Musicians’ Union, BBC and Recording Committee minutes, 13th
August 1948)
10. *
*MU’s fight was on 3 fronts:
*To protect legal status of their agreement with PPL
*Against Mecca (and others) who saw recordings as replacement
for live musicians
* To retain considerable power over the record industry and
broadcasters
*1988 – MMC report forces PPL to withdraw “all requirements
for the employment of musicians from its licensing conditions”
*MU moderated its stance on opposition to recordings for
pragmatic reasons
*Power shift in 1980s – pro-business and anti-Union. Mecca/
Danceland a forerunner of that.