MUS 1880 - Repertoire and Hit Song Analysis

Credits: 2

Description: This course serves as a basic introduction to A&R (artist and repertoire) practice, focusing on the question: what makes a song a hit? In exploring this question, students learn to identify musical attributes of hit songs from popular 20^th century music; students gain a basic understanding of the music business infrastructure that contributed to the success of various songs and artists. The course examines a number of record labels, including, most notably, their A&R departments, to investigate how these labels chose, produced, and marketed their catalogs of hit songs. Students also analyze numerous classic and contemporary hit songs in relation to their basic sonic qualities, promotional campaigns and label support, as well as their social and historical contexts.