Book Review
Jun. 8th, 2018 12:46 pmThe Sounds of Capitalism: Advertising, Music, and the Conquest of Culture
by Timothy D. Taylor
This book traces the use and development of music in advertising from the early days of radio through the advent of television and into the early 2000s. Taylor also looks at how music in ads helped shape the culture of consumption, and, ultimately, the culture itself. It was endlessly fascinating, and often pretty fun to read. Taylor deftly follows and weaves together several threads over the course of this history: the shifts in the styles of music used in advertising, the trajectory from more subtle and gentle approaches through the rise of the hard sell and then back to more subtle advertising, and the role of the jingle vs the song. He does not offer any extensive critiques of capitalism or advertising and it's use of music, but it is clear that this is a choice he has made rather than evidence of approval or endorsement.
by Timothy D. Taylor
This book traces the use and development of music in advertising from the early days of radio through the advent of television and into the early 2000s. Taylor also looks at how music in ads helped shape the culture of consumption, and, ultimately, the culture itself. It was endlessly fascinating, and often pretty fun to read. Taylor deftly follows and weaves together several threads over the course of this history: the shifts in the styles of music used in advertising, the trajectory from more subtle and gentle approaches through the rise of the hard sell and then back to more subtle advertising, and the role of the jingle vs the song. He does not offer any extensive critiques of capitalism or advertising and it's use of music, but it is clear that this is a choice he has made rather than evidence of approval or endorsement.