This Is The Modern World, Lille, June 2013
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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.
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- 1. Synthesisers: Friend or Foe? The British Musicians’ Union and technology John Williamson This Is The Modern World. Pour une histoire sociale du rock 13 June 2013
- 2. NME
- 3. The Musicians’ Union Formed in 1893 as Amalgamated Musicians’ Union, merger in 1921 to become Musicians’ Union Between 30-40 000 members for the last fifty years Currently 31 482 members; Income around £8m per year; operating surplus (2011) = £1.2m JB Williams: “a protecting Union: one that will protect us from amateurs; protect us from unscrupulous employers and protect us from ourselves”
- 4. Technological Disruption . . . Street: “as each innovation appears to threaten jobs, the MU has resisted each one in turn, first opposing multi-track recording, then mellotrons and finally synthesisers and drum machines” (1986: 147) 3 major threats to live music employment during twentieth century: Broadcasting / Radio “The Talkies” – end of silent films accompanied by orchestras The recording industry
- 5. Technological Disruption / Broadcasting BBC (British Broadcasting Company / Corporation) formed in 1923 Opposed by theatre, concert and Music Hall owners MU: “our policy shall be one of regulating terms. . an extra fee to be negotiated with the management on the lines of the difference between once and twice nightly terms” 1925: broadcasting “had not reduced employment of entertainers but, on the contrary, has increased it. It should not be discouraged but controlled.”
- 6. Technological Disruption / The Talkies Number of musicians working in cinemas increased to 16000 by 1928 before advent of films with sound Union membership dropped from 20000 in 1929 to 6740 in 1936 – mass unemployment among former cinema musicians Farmer: “big cinema combines, controlled by the film manufacturers, would soon be masters of the situation.”
- 10. Technological Disruption / The Talkies Number of musicians working in cinemas increased to 16000 by 1928 before advent of films with sound Union membership dropped from 20000 in 1929 to 6740 in 1936 – mass unemployment among former cinema musicians Farmer: “big cinema combines, controlled by the film manufacturers, would soon be masters of the situation.”
- 11. Technological Disruption / The Talkies Number of musicians working in cinemas increased to 16000 by 1928 before advent of films with sound Union membership dropped from 20000 in 1929 to 6740 in 1936 – mass unemployment among former cinema musicians Farmer: “big cinema combines, controlled by the film manufacturers, would soon be masters of the situation.”