How Music Affected the Great Depression

How Music Affected the Great Depression
The Stock Market crash of 1929 was one of the major factors that led to the biggest depression in United States history, the Great Depression. During the great depression 1/4 men and women were out of work, which caused thousands to wonder the landscapes of the States. 

The music business during this time was on the brink of collapsing. The American record companies of the day, who were previously selling more than 100 million copies of records a year during the "roaring 20’s” were only selling about 6 million copies. Most of these record companies went completely out of business because the rich were afraid to invest their money in anything and everybody else could not afford to invest their money in anything but keeping themselves and their family alive. “The Victor Company stopped making record players altogether for a time and sold radios-and radio programs-instead” (PBS). 

The fact that record players were not being sold and records themselves were not being sold means that millions of people in America and around the world, (because the entire world was affected by the American Great Depression) were not listening to music. Jazz was the music that attempted to bring back music for Americans, and it worked. Jazz represented American freedom to many which is the reason why it was looked towards to "lift the spirits and raise the moral of the frightened country” (PBS). Through raising the spirits and helping Americans feel some sort of happiness in this horrible time Jazz music also broke down many race separating barriers that had been put up since the beginning of the country. This was jazz’s highpoint in its carrier and it was never loved by this many people again.

After the 1929 Stock Market Crash and the first couple years to follow America was very slowly, rising. “1932 10 million records had been sold in the United States, by 1939, that number would grow to 50 million” (PBS). The sudden growth of record sales was thanks to a new kind of music that grew up in Harlem, New York, Swing. Swing music “became the defining music for an entire generation of Americans” (PBS). 

"Swing music Hollywood with its theme music and offered entertainment, elegance and escape for a people down on their luck” (PBS). Swing music offered hope to many Americans. People would travel from far and wide to see swing performers in Harlem, this time period known as the Harlem Renaissance. Swing music became the theme song for the famous “jitterbug” dance and many other exhilarating fast and fun dances. Swing music made bands, musicians, and music more popular in this time of bad luck in doubt for many Americans. “Young people followed the careers of the musicians who played in them[bands] just as they followed their favorite baseball players” (PBS). 

Music was a big part of the upcoming from the Great Depression and a major reason why many Americans got out of the initial funk. The Great Depression affected everybody around the world, except those completely isolate countries, in the worst way possible. Music was the one thing that brought everybody back together again and a major reason why the Great Depression did not go on forever. 

http://www.pbs.org/jazz/time/time_depression.htm