Of Music Industrialization: Production in Colombian Recording and Sound Technology Industries, 1949-‐1963 Guingue Valencia, L
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
WestminsterResearch http://www.westminster.ac.uk/westminsterresearch A social history of a so-‐called "Golden Age" of music industrialization: production in Colombian recording and sound technology industries, 1949-‐1963 Guingue Valencia, L. This is an electronic version of a PhD thesis awarded by the University of Westminster. © Mr Lucas Guingue Valencia, 2019. The WestminsterResearch online digital archive at the University of Westminster aims to make the research output of the University available to a wider audience. Copyright and Moral Rights remain with the authors and/or copyright owners. Whilst further distribution of specific materials from within this archive is forbidden, you may freely distribute the URL of WestminsterResearch: ((http://westminsterresearch.wmin.ac.uk/). In case of abuse or copyright appearing without permission e-mail [email protected] A social history of a so-called "Golden Age" of music industrialization: production in Colombian recording and sound technology industries, 1949-1963. PhD Candidate: Lucas Mateo Guingue Valencia. Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of requirements for the awarding of PhD degree by the University of Westminster. February 2019. 2 Abstract This attempt at writing a social history of recording and sound technology industries from 1949 to 1963, focuses on the relations between different kinds of players intertwined in the sphere of domestic production of records and local assembly of sound hardware in Colombia. It departs from unpacking the idea of a Golden Age in reference to the period of study, in order the describe and analyse the period through evidence collected during rigorous, systematic and exhaustive archive work, including journalistic and institutional primary sources of various kinds, and qualitative as well as quantitative data. The analysis is guided by a social history work plan delineated by Eric Hobsbawm, which begins by sketching a picture of the relational complex studied and understanding its movement through time, is followed by the abstraction of patterns of change and continuity, and finally by the analysis of social tensions involved in the historical process. The work gives special attention to: changes in mode of production when contrasting the 1949-1963 era with the previous two decades; gradual changes in mode of production during the 1950s; changes associable to effects of a mid1950s economic crisis in the country; the relations between key cities Medellín, Bogotá, Cartagena and Barranquilla; and to the different sorts of tensions between players related to the sphere of production. 3 Author's declaration I declare that all the material contained in this thesis is my own work. 4 List of Contents Acknowledgments ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ............ ............ ................ 7 List of Figures .......... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ............ ............ ............... 9 Introduction: subject matter and description of the text .......... .......... .......... .......... ........... .......... ........... .......... 13 Part One - The research plan, theory and methodology Chapter 1. Unpacking the idea of a "Golden Age" of recording industries in Colombia, and a social history research plan for exploring the production sphere of a complex object of study .......... .......... 29 1. Discourses about a "Golden Age" of recording industries in Colombia: journalism, industry marketing, and musicology .......... .......... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... .......... .......... .......... ........... ........... .......... ......... ........ 30 2. The historical context of the so-called "Golden Age"........... ........... ....... .......... ........... ........... ........... ........... ............ 34 3. Background and rationale of the 1949 to 1963 period of study ........... ........... ........... .......... ............ .......... ......... 38 4. A social history analysis: changes in mode of production, the structure of music and sound industrialization in Colombia, and the tensions involved .......... ........... ............ ........... ............ ........... ............ ............ 42 5. Research aims, objectives and questions ........... ............. ........... ........... ............ ........... ............ ........... ........... .......... 46 6. A complex object of study: recording and sound technology industries ............ ............ ........... ............ .......... 48 Chapter 2. Historiographies of recording and sound technology industries: mid 20th to 21st century ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... .......... 59 1. Un-scholarly historiographies: industry insiders, journalists and archivists ........... ........... ........... .......... ...... 60 1.1 Industry insiders ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... .......... ......... 63 1.2 Journalists: music, media and technology ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... .......... .......... .......... ......... 65 1.3 Collectors, discographers, archivists and museography .......... .......... .......... ......... ........... ........... .......... ......... 68 2. Academic historiographies, 1970s to 2010s: traditions, schools and threads in an interdisciplinary object of study .......... ........... ........... ............ ........... .......... ........... ............. ............. ........... ........... ......... ........... ........... ........ 74 2.1 From sociology and organizational studies to popular music studies: the production-of-culture approach, cultural industries, and business history ......... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ......... 76 2.2. Other social and economic histories: musicianship, recording industry and material culture ............ 81 2.3 Musicology, ethnomusicology, and other studies of popular music ............ ............ ............ ........... ............. 90 Music genre specific histories ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ......... 91 Ethnomusicology of technology ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ............ ........... ............... 99 2.4 Mass communications and media: from media histories to media archaeologies ........... ........... ............ 104 2.5 From historians of science and technology, to the fields of aural and sound studies ............. ............... 115 3. Concluding remarks on this broad literature review ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ...... ....... 117 Chapter 3. Historiography theory and methodology: writing cultural and social history in the 21st century, and primary sources for studying the recent past ........... ........... ........... .......... ........... .......... ............ 119 1. Epistemological and ontological implications of writing social and cultural history in the 21st century ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... .......... ........... .......... 123 1.1. A discipline of prolonged revolutions: ontological and epistemological dialectics in contemporary historiography ........... .......... ........... ......... ........... ........... .......... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ......... 124 1.2. A well tempered contemporary historian: awareness of the discipline's critique, its problems and limitations ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... .......... .......... ........... .......... .......... ........... ......... ........ 133 2. Primary sources and methodological implications of writing history of the recent past .............. .............. 137 2.1. The primary sources, their collection and analysis ............. ............. ............ ............ ............ ............. .............. 139 Journalistic sources ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ............ ........... ............ ........... ........... ........... 142 Institutional sources ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ............ 144 2.2. Other implications of writing history of the recent past ........... ........... ............ ........... ........... ........... ............ 151 Part Two - Historical analysis of the Colombian case Chapter 4. Mass media and popular music repertoires in mid 20th century Colombia ........... ........... 159 1. Circulation of recorded sound in Colombia since the 1930s: radio broadcasting, film exhibition, and jukeboxes ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... .......... ....... 160 5 2. Understanding late 1940s