About this episode
The episode explores the hidden labor behind library music and its impact on media in the 1960s and 1970s through interviews with experts.
Today, we look at some of the hidden labor that creates the ubiquitous music that we hear all around us. Today we talk to Nessa Johnston and Jamie Sexton, co-editors (with Elodie A. Roy) of Anonymous Sounds, Library Music and Screen Cultures in the 1960s and 1970s. It's the first scholarly book that takes a comprehensive look at the early off-the-shelf music industry that soundtracked TV, movies, radio, and commercials and it argues that these anonymous individuals had a major collective impact on the music of the era. This show is part of a series of occasional episodes and newsletters about the roles that music and sound play in public space. Nessa Johnston is lecturer in screen studies and digital media at the University of Liverpool. Jamie Sexton is associate professor of film and television studies at North University. If you'd like to hear the full version of our conversation, including their reading and listening recommendations, you can become a member at http://mackhagood.com. Cited Media: Articles / Essays: Anahid Kassabian - "Ubiquitous Listening: Affect, Attention, and Distributed Subjectivity" (2013) Ryan Bradley - "It’s the Music You Hear All Day, Without Ever…
People in this episode
Guests: Nessa Johnston, Jamie Sexton
Topics covered
- library music
- screen cultures
- 1960s
- 1970s
- anonymous music creators
- impact of music
- public space
Keywords
- library music
- anonymous sounds
- screen cultures
- 1960s music
- 1970s music
- Nessa Johnston
- Jamie Sexton
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: University of Liverpool, North University
Books & works: Anonymous Sounds: Library Music and Screen Cultures in the 1960s and 1970s, Unusual Sounds: The Hidden History of Library Music, Ubiquitous Listening: Affect, Attention, and Distributed Subjectivity, It’s the Music You Hear All Day, Without Ever Noticing
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