These four decades have seen the change from punk to techno, MTV to YouTube and The Bee Gees to Justin Bieber. The 70s saw the emergence of punk alongside songs about the political views of the times. The 80s also had a host of politically inspired songs but also saw the beginning of music becoming more technologically advanced. From boy bands to grunge or garage music, the 90s had such a diverse range of music and groups that it catered to everyone’s taste. In the late 90s the internet was beginning to have a profound impact on the industry and the way we would listen to and purchase music in the future. In the 00s, music became more readily available for people to listen to but also to produce, with the introduction of programs such as ‘Garage Band.’ Myspace and Youtube made music much more accessible for everyone. Overall, the music of the decades changed with the times and will continue to do so in the future.
Punk rock was a genre that had several rises. It progressed from the believed starting place of Manhattan’s Bowery District where the likes of Blondie, The Ramones and the Heartbreakers immerged. Following closely behind the Bowery District was London, due to the political and economic instability of the time, youth in the United Kingdom were rebellious and angry. This paved the way for the infamous group The Sex Pistols to explode through out the United Kingdom and the United States. Australia was also amongst the Punk Rock revolution of the 70s with highly successful band ACDC. Their album release of High Voltage in 1976, saw them quickly shoot into the radios of people around the country.
The production of music through out the 70s saw its self evolve. Vinyl still being the popular choice of music listeners in the early 70s, a cost-cutting move in the production of vinyl saw lightweight and flexible vinyl pressings for mass production purposes. This decade also saw the rise of the “Cassette Culture”, which in turn saw the production and distribution of amateur recorded music via homemade audio cassettes. With the improvement of tape formulations and increasing availability of sophisticated cassette decks, bands through out the era could produce high-quality copies of their music with out high budgets.