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> made-up nonsense about churches and bars. The first sheet music printed (15th century) was almost exclusively liturgical (i.e., religious). Similarly, it's

> made-up nonsense about churches and bars. The first sheet music printed (15th century) was almost exclusively liturgical (i.e., religious). Similarly, it's no accident that the first popular work of the printed word was the Gutenberg Bible.

foldr 5y ago
Sure, but the sheet music was a straightforward product. Certain people wanted to perform certain music, and the sheet music helped them to do it. Music has been part of religious observance since forever. It’s just inaccurate to analyze the situation as one where the sheet music business is only profitable because it’s being indirectly used to “sell preaching”. Anyway, whatever the beginnings of the industry, there was a very large secular sheet music market shortly thereafter. I’d love to hear the cynical analysis of the madrigal industry, but I suspect the truth of it is a lot simpler: people enjoy singing songs. From Wikipedia: > Jacques Arcadelt (also Jacob Arcadelt; c. 1507 – 14 October 1568[1]) was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance, active in both Italy and France, and principally known as a composer of secular vocal music. Although he also wrote sacred vocal music, he was one of the most famous of the early composers of madrigals; his first book of madrigals, published within a decade of the appearance of the earliest examples of the form, was the most widely printed collection of madrigals of the entire era.
- renlo 5y ago
  No clue why you're bringing up sheet music, modern music industry is recorded music, not sheet music. OP was discussing recorded music, ie "the music industry", not the "sheet music industry"
  - foldr 5y ago
    It's not entirely clear to me what the OP was talking about, as the claim in their original post is quite vague. I just wanted to point out that people have been able to "own" music since long before it was possible to record music. So there is a long history of music being a product.

foldr 5y ago

Sure, but the sheet music was a straightforward product. Certain people wanted to perform certain music, and the sheet music helped them to do it. Music has been part of religious observance since forever. It’s just inaccurate to analyze the situation as one where the sheet music business is only profitable because it’s being indirectly used to “sell preaching”. Anyway, whatever the beginnings of the industry, there was a very large secular sheet music market shortly thereafter. I’d love to hear the cynical analysis of the madrigal industry, but I suspect the truth of it is a lot simpler: people enjoy singing songs. From Wikipedia: > Jacques Arcadelt (also Jacob Arcadelt; c. 1507 – 14 October 1568[1]) was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance, active in both Italy and France, and principally known as a composer of secular vocal music. Although he also wrote sacred vocal music, he was one of the most famous of the early composers of madrigals; his first book of madrigals, published within a decade of the appearance of the earliest examples of the form, was the most widely printed collection of madrigals of the entire era.

renlo 5y ago
No clue why you're bringing up sheet music, modern music industry is recorded music, not sheet music. OP was discussing recorded music, ie "the music industry", not the "sheet music industry"
- foldr 5y ago
  It's not entirely clear to me what the OP was talking about, as the claim in their original post is quite vague. I just wanted to point out that people have been able to "own" music since long before it was possible to record music. So there is a long history of music being a product.