Antonio Cortez III
Second Essay
Music 1306 [ 11 October 2013 ]

From Servitude to Great Livelihood
Antonio Cortez III

From Servitude to Great Livelihood The art of music and the industry has grown developed from the days when composer were servants and have grown to become well established paid artist. It is only in the eighteenth century that we can begin to see music as a commercial enterprise—a multidimensional business that provided employment for not only musicians but also those working for not only musicians but also those working in music-related fields. Certainly, many of the components of the industry were already in place by 1700: public performance for profit, instrument making, music publishing, and private musical instruction had been viable enterprises for decades, even centuries (Campbell, 2011, p. 109.) The stratification of musical life development—the further evolution of classical music, the emergence of a forward looking mentality and an artistic elite to nature it, and the growth of a branch of the music industry that captured to mass taste—the musical world in Europe and North America was far more stratifies in 1900 than it was in 1850 (Campbell, 2011, p. 234.) Beethoven elevated the status of composer from servant to artist; he demanded a pension from aristocratic patrons so that he would not have to concern himself with such mundane matters as money. Our modern conception of the musician as artist derives most directly from him (Campbell, 2011.) According to Tart (2009), in 1991, Rolling Stone magazine reported that MJ and his sister Janet had landed the best, most lucrative record deals in history: deals that redefined superstar contracts in the entertainment industry. “Both Jacksons will receive perks that other recording artists, from Madonna to U2, can only dream about.” MJ became a 50/50 financial partner with Sony, with a deal that would “split the profits of his future albums — in addition to receiving artist, publishing and songwriting royalties.”
In order to properly discuss the monetary pay of the musician from then and now, we first have to solve the problem of currency. We really have no good way of translating 17th or 18th century monetary figures into today’s money. The best we can do is compare purchasing power – for instance, how much did a loaf of bread cost, or a cow, or the weeks groceries. Another way to understand the value of a salary is to consider what other professions were making at the same time (Hahn, 2010). According to Hahn (2010), a female singer in 1741 in the city Prussian Court would make a salary wage of $1,700.00 yearly in the time when a physician would make $600 yearly and the cost of one pig was $5. According to SimplyHired.com, the average salary for female singers jobs in Chicago, IL is $17,000, where as a physician is $72,000 and the cost of a pig is $80. In the nineteenth century, music went public. Musical entertainment—and entertainment in which music is an integral part—grew rapidly in the first half of the century, then mushroomed during the second half. A major reason for this accelerated growth was the rapid increase in mass entertainment. By the end of the century, professional musical entertainment included several well-established genres directed toward a mass audience. In the United States, these ranged from musical comedy, minstrel shows, and vaudeville to concerts by touring concert bands. (Campbell, 2011) Music from its creation and throughout its development over the years has resulted with such great results. Composers, who were once servant, have become paid composer and now are known as artist. Artists who are highly talented will be paid greatly and will be very successful and artist, who can perform well, will be able to make a living in the music industry. Music is still continually expanding into new areas as artists explore different ways to develop themselves into something new and creative.