https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1GPGEM6NafduMH2mLoSsZDC4rc9UEnm2I?ths=true

Concept Report Written

Tara Rodgers: Toward a Feminist Historiography of Electronic Music Chapter 39

Natalie Aarons s3601713

A) Summary of the reading

The chapter in summary explores the concept of sexism in the electronic music industry. Tara Rodgers the author of the chapter highlights the issues of sexism through delving first into the history of electronic music and then considers where the industry lies presently in regards to feminism and how women are responded to within the electronic music industry.

In the first section of the chapter Rodgers addresses the history of electronic music first by conceptualising the notion and recognising that music is a representation of the time and era it is made. Further, that there is commonly a political influence that determines or undermines how or what type of music is produced. In her text Rodger’s refers to The Cold War remarking that “During the Cold War, electronic sounds became firmly lodged in the public imagination, especially in association with space age and atomic research”, this was because in the 20th Century a competition between the Soviet Union and the United States for spaceflight capability became a spotlight for most of the worlds politics.  Rodger’s further went on to explain that “space age pop music featured racially exorcized portrayals of women on album covers and used electronic sounds to signify the allure and anxieties of space exploration”. Highlighting that this industry used gender to stereotype and categorise, in particular this was aimed at women.

Moreover, Rodgers highlights the hyper sexualisation of women artist in the music industry too. Clara Rockmore’s Recital at the Town Hall in New York in the year 1934, is a prime example of this. The Washington Post wrote a commentary on her performance writing that “her right hands reach forward towards, but stops short of the vertical rod. In doing so, she has penetrated the area of sound”, this implies that Rockmore “encroached on a phallic domain”. The way she was spoken about was sexualised and made her seem like she wasn’t playing an instrument but that she was performing something innately sexual. Clara Rockmore’s recital and commentary by the Post is the very essence of sexism in the industry because of the way women were spoken about within the industry.

The text also addressed gender and technology in discourses of sound reproduction. This portion of the chapter discusses sound reproduction and the concept of male creation. Looking more closely at the concept of male creation, and what that means for the music industry. “male claims to creation”, are stories of male birth that cover up a dependance on women. Rodger’s uses the example of Fender Electric Guitars “in the Mid twentieth century, the distinctive, prized tone of fender electric guitar relied on the labouring hands of hispanic women”, despite the central role of these workers they were never praised for their work it was Leo Fender himself that was.

B) Where does the text situate itself in the study of sound and what is its significance?

If sound has a direct correlation to time, place and politics then this text situates itself within the political side of the sound study. Music is influenced by the society it is made in, it makes sense because people within society with all of their societal codes of behaviour are the ones producing the music. This text deals with the issues of gendered inequalities in the music industry, in particular this article explores sexism in the electronic music sector and aims to make a point for feminism within this male dominated platform of music. Sexism in the electronic music industry or the entire music industry for that matter is of great significance as it reflects on the way society is constructed today in every facet of life. Music is a way of connecting people together and a way to embrace the world or connect to the worlds larger issues. Sexism in the music industry still exists today as well as it does in many other areas of life. That is why sexism in the music industry is a significant part of the sound study because it allows an understanding of the way society values women and men and the way that they are regarded. Without addressing sexism in the study of sound, a person wouldn’t really understand how through history the music industry has been formed. The article elaborates largely on the history of sexism within this industry and even makes a point for it still being an influence in the modern industry too. At the crux of it, music is a sort of microcosm of human society, It reflects the goings on of the world through sound. As if you weren’t able to physically see the world and you could only hear it through music you could understand a lot about the way our world functions.

C) How did this reading add/change your understanding on the given concept?

This reading added to my knowledge of the music industry’s history in regards to feminism and how feminism has evolved throughout it. Most importantly the strides that still need to be taken to make the industry a more diverse space for gender equality. To my understanding I previously thought that the rise of feminism within social culture these last decades, meant that the music industry was a place of creation and expression that would have been at the forefront of a diverse culture shift towards feminism. Finding out that only one in ten Dj’s today are female has changed my previous thoughts on the concept and has changed my understanding completely. In the text Tara Rodgers highlights “Dj Culture’s as distinctly masculine” and continues to point out that the industry of electronic music has not vastly shifted, women have “not made significant contributions to these fields, to the extent that men have”. This tells me that this industry is still largely male dominate, when I previously considered it to be a place where women were creating the same amount of music.

D) What is something you found important or intriguing about the reading and its relation to media making?

The reading makes a point for politics, time and era to being a major influence on the creative side of what is produced in the music industry. This was intriguing to me, although I already assumed that world issues would have an impact on what people put out into the world creatively, I didn’t quite grasp the enormity of its influence. For example Childish Gambino’s 2018 hit ‘This is America’, is a song and music video laden with metaphors about race and gun violence in America. Gun violence in America has been a large conversation and issue for the United States for years, with hundreds of mass shootings a year it’s no wonder this topic made its way into the music industry. The central massage of this song and music video is about guns and violence in America, it points out the fact that comity deals with theses issues and consumes them as a part of entertainment on one side and on the other that it as apart of a larger conversation bot in America and around the world. The music video is full of many juxtapositions that exemplify this notion. This is a prime example of the way social issues, world issues and politics of our time and era have made influence in the media making of out time. The reading put forth the notion that that was a large part of the creative influence within the industry.

E) How could this inform your practice when creating audio/visual works?

Understating sexism in the electronic music industry creates a space where creatively producing work is more informed. Exploring the history of this industry and knowing how it is run today allows creative practice to be a reflection of my own views regarding sexism in the music industry. Being informed about sexism In history allows for change. Being able to creatively produce knowing that there has been and continues to be a level of sexism within the industry allows me to explore or harness my own views and make a point for feminism through my own works.