The 1980s was a decade where things changed drastically. The music industry in the 1980s experienced major changes mostly due to the political and economic changes, and new trends and inventions.
In the 1980s, America was changed economically and politically. The terrible economy had a huge impact on American people. When president Ronald Reagan took over in 1981, the economy was in the worst condition since the Great Depression (Shmoop Editorial Team). Because of the poor economy the crime rate increased drastically. Violence, theft, and murder numbers increased significantly in areas where there were gangs and drugs. It was so bad that congress passed drug laws resulting in a rise in the number of U.S. prisoners (Woog pg. 74). The Vietnam War had a major effect on the 1980s. Most of the economical and political problems were because …show more content…
The poor economy of the 1980s influenced new styles of music. Many musicians used their music to express their points of view and opinions about the war, and peace among the people of the U.S (Woog pg. 79). Drugs had a huge effect on music, influencing wild, risqué rock and punk styles that took over the music industry. The birth of new genres of music that expanded the social acceptance was so successful they still influence music today (Gelipter). Lastly, the new creations of MTV and CDs expanded the way music sounded and how it could be seen and heard. Drum machines and synthesizers could be added into the music on CDs, bringing a new, popular, original sound to the music industry, while MTV brought image and interpretation (Gelipter). Although the 1980s was a rough decade, the music industry benefitted from the vast changes. 1980s music was greatly impacted by many political and social changes, and new popular ideas . To sum it up, the rough decade of the 1980s affected music, and is still affecting music