Sarah G. answered • 01/12/21
Senior Music Education Major
To explain how technology, such as the radio, helped influence the spread of music, first we define what is "pop music." Pop music, a.k.a. popular music, is music that becomes accepted by the general public as being influential and often enjoyable. In the 1940s, the rise of the radio not only helped to spread significant political information related to WWII; it also provided entertainment for listeners, whether it be sports games or music. The radio helped to expose people to a world of new music to which they probably would not have initially received access. Before the radio, there were phonographs and piano song rolls. These allowed for people to listen to music from the comfort of their own homes, or if they did not a have the financial means to see symphonies. The radio also gave major stimulation to the growth of musicians; being on the radio meant that musicians of any background could receive more exposure for their art. As music of the 1940s, particularly jazz, was aired on the radio, popular musicians like Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, and Glenn Miller could make a larger influence on the soundscape of the 1940s.
