How was the music industry affected during World War 2?

Answer 1

With war production booming, people had disposable income after the long years of the Depression. Also with the war came a revival in patriotic songs. The music business saw increased growth in sales during these years, which had a small, but positive impact on the economy.

Answer 2

The music industry faced a "dot.com-like" bust in 1921 and was just getting back on track in the latter stages of the 1920s when the Depression hit. As the economy began to improve through the 1930s, Swing Music was saving the industry and would be seen and heard on radio stations, movie screens, dance halls, and -- with increasing sales -- record stores.

But obviously on December 7, 1941, America found itself at war. "Bandsmen today are not just jazz musicians, they are soldiers of music," said the musicians' trade magazine DownBeat. The music industry would fall into another challenging period financially if not creatively. Blackouts and late-night curfews impacted performance venues such as dance halls and nightclubs. A federal tax on entertainment led to many night spots' quick demise. The rationing of rubber and gasoline led to a demise in medium and lower echelon touring buses. Shellac, the favored material of that era of records, was curtailed. Because of the need for metal and other materials for the war effort, Musical Instruments and jukeboxes were either not made or in short supply depending on the war year. The American Federation of Musicians (AFM) was in its legal squabble with the radio industry ordered its members to stop making records, banning all commercial recordings by union members from mid-1942 to late 1944, except for "V discs" intended only for servicemen. This would last until each of the major record companies agreed to pay royalties for radio and public performances. Non-union singers were exempt from the recording ban. Some record companies produced a cappella records and novelty songs.

For the period, some of the most successful music produced lifted the country's spirits, or were sentimental songs aimed at those kept apart by war, or were message songs that were patriotic in nature. Songs that exemplify the latter included '(There'll Be a) Hot Time in the Town of Berlin' by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters and 'Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition,' by Kay Kyser. The second category includes Bing Crosby's "I'll Be Home for Christmas" which became one of the most requested songs at Christmas U.S.O. shows.

Great musical talent that wasn't appearing in USO shows, Canteen shows and the like were sometimes found in the War effort. The aforementioned Down Beat ran a regular featured grimly called Killed in Action to track the number of performers lost in the war effort. At one point during the fighting, there were 39 bandleaders enlisted in the Army. Emblematic of the loss in the music industry was Glenn Miller, who disbanded his own orchestra to form an all-star Air Force unit and died when his airplane disappeared over the English Channel.

Answer 3

how World War 2 affect music