Popular Music
Popular Music was music that all Americans listened
to no matter race, social or economic status and
brought about and created an American Culture.
Tin Pan Alley was a real alley on East Fourteenth
Street near Third (in New York). It came to be known
as the birthplace of American Popular Music. Tin Pan
Alley brought together many styles, blues, jazz,
musical scores and ragtime.
The sale of millions of copies of sheet music marked a
significant development in the publishing industry and
in the way music was being presently to the public.
Music publishers were surprised to learn that popular
tunes were being sold to individuals with the hopes of
playing the songs at home. Up to that point, sheet
music was almost exclusively sold to professional
performers. Not only was the Music Chart created (A
tracking system of the country’s most popular songs),
but the sale of sheet music put enormous resources (cash) into Tin Pan Alley.
Within a year, songwriter Irving Berlin published "Alexander’s Ragtime Band," which mixed the
popular beat of the day along with the legend of Ragtime. The song gave Tin Pan Alley its
crowning achievement and Berlin his first million. The song also changed the way America listened
to music; "Alexander’s Ragtime Band" has often been credited, in part, for the increase in the sales
of radios and phonographs, both rather new to the buying public. The music produced in Tin Pan
Alley led to the rise of popular dances. The Charleston, a dance originating in the 20s named after
Charleston, SC, was a rhythmic and provocative dance that became widespread among flappers
girls and speakeasy patrons (customers). The peak of the Charleston’s popularity was seen in
1926-1927.
Once the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) was formed, Tin Pan
Alley became a mega force in popular music, producing over 90% of the commercial songs and
inspiring the sales of millions of copies of both sheet music and 78 recordings.
Tin Pan Alley became a melting pot for culture and musical tastes, despite racial lines, and
although limitations still existed, the art of the music was still able to emerge!