9 - Popular Music in Germany - The Genesis of a New Field of Discourse

Summary

The years 1945 to 1968 represent one of the most intense periods of diffusion of American and British popular music into Germany and the other German-speaking countries. A broad change in German popular-music traditions occurred, particularly in the commercial Schlager music, with which American and British music successfully competed. In the course of the diffusion, African American music elements were introduced through jazz, rock 'n' roll, and blues. The use of English lyrics by German vocal artists and musicians became standard procedure as well, and some German lyric writers and composers earned their livelihood by adapting lyrics and tunes from American or British pop stars. The diffusion also accompanied transformations in the music industry, which began to focus on changes in its audience and on the personality of the singer instead of on the song. The German and international popular-music industry not only increased its production output many times over but, as a result of their emulation of American and British models, shifted its emphasis to youth and youth culture. The recording and broadcasting industries, which American capital interests had dominated ever since the mid-1920s, gradually replaced the music-publishing industry as the primary marketer of popular music. The resulting profits were a driving force behind the introduction of the 45-rpm single, the 33-rpm long-playing record, high-fidelity and stereo recordings, and the increased utilization of the FM broadcasting band for popular music, which achieved undisputed dominance in radio and television programming. Concerts by American, British, and other foreign pop stars became a staple of German entertainment.