Performance, Airplay, and the Recording Industry

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Word Menu > Arts and Leisure > Performing Arts > Popular Music > Performance, Airplay, and the Recording Industry

A&R - artist and repertory; record company employee responsible for signing and developing acts, matching songs to artists
air guitar - imaginary guitar played by singer or dancer, usu. with wild, highly expressive mannerisms
airplay - exposure of record on radio program
album - group of six to fifteen songs released together on compact disc, cassette, and/or a 33-rpm, long-playing record in a cardboard jacket
American Bandstand - Trademark. television program featuring teenagers dancing to records
AM radio - amplitude modulation radio broadcasting, generally associated with popular music programming
AOR - album oriented rock; easy listening, light pop or soft rock radio programming
arranger - person responsible for orchestrating a song for performance or recording
artist and repertory - A&R
A-side - primary hit side of 45-rpm single record
ax - Slang. musical instrument, esp. guitar
backbeat - danceable beat characteristic of rock-’n’-roll
backup singer - harmony or background singer who complements featured vocalist
band - group of musicians performing together
beat - accent in rhythm; backbeat
belt - (vb) Informal. sing a song loudly and energetically
Billboard - Trademark. weekly trade magazine of the recording industry, including news, features, and charts
boogie - (vb) become animated by dance music; play with soulful feeling
bootleg recording - pirated recording
bottleneck - glass or metal cylinder, orig. the neck of a bottle, used to create sliding guitar notes; guitar-playing style using bottleneck
bottom - Slang. bass part of pop song
break dancing - very acrobatic, urban, black dance style, orig. late 1970’s
bridge - segment of pop song that connects verses and chorus
B-side - secondary song released with a single, not the hit; flip side
cartage - transport of musical equipment to performance or recording session
cassingle - prerecorded cassette sold to promote a single song
cassignle - prerecorded cassette sold to promote a single song
casual - informal performance at party or wedding
CD - compact disc
CD single - smaller compact disc
charts - written musical arrangements; record industry tabulations on sales of popular records
chops - Slang. level of musical skill and virtuosity; solo passage
chorus - recurring segment of song, usu. after each verse, often containing the song’s title or hook
clam - Slang. musician’s mistake, bad note
club - small bar in which musicians perform
combo - group of musicians playing together
compact disc - disc on which music is recorded digitally and reproduced by laser light reflection; CD
concept album - long-playing record with songs united by theme, narrative, and style
cook - (vb) Slang. play an instrument with fire and inspiration
cover version - new rendition of an older, familiar song; white version of black song in the 1950’s
crooner - easy, smooth-styled, romantic singer
crossover hit - song belonging to a particular genre that achieves commercial success in another genre
cut - individual song on an album; (vb) record a song
DAT - digital audio tape
date - recording session, esp. for jazz
deejay - disc jockey
def jam - Slang. excellent sound or record, esp. hip-hop
demo - demonstration recording submitted by musicians seeking recording contract; rough version of a song, to be polished for finished recording
dinosaur - rock performer or band emphasizing thunderous, formulaic rock, esp. with out-of-date style
disc - compact disc or phonograph record
disc jockey - DJ; announcer who hosts a radio music program or dance; deejay
Discman - Trademark. compact, portable CD-player used with earphones
discography - descriptive listing of recordings by category, artist, composer, label, or date
discotheque - dance club with recorded music
DJ - disc jockey
dub - technique of mixing record or performance for very heavy bass line; mix without lead vocals; copy tape to tape
ear candy - Slang. light, syrupy, easy-listening music
ears - Slang. ability to recognize potential hit song based on keen appreciation of pop sensibility
easy rock - light pop or soft rock
eight-track tape - former enclosed-cartridge medium for prerecorded tape with four stereo channels
EP - extended play
extended play - EP; four-song, 45-rpm single
fan club - organization devoted to following a particular group or performer
fanzine - rock or pop music fan magazine
festival - outdoor pop music event featuring many performers, often taking place over a period of several days
festival seating - nonreserved seating, usu. on floor or ground
flip side - B-side
folkie - Informal. enthusiast or performer of folk music
format - radio programming style and content
45 - seven-inch, 45-rpm record, usu. with one song on each side; single
funky - (adj) dirty, down-home, bluesy, or unsophisticated
fuzz - electronic sound distortion, popular in 1960’s
garage band - rough, amateur pop group
ghetto blaster - Slang. powerful yet portable stereo unit, usu. carried on street
gig - Slang. musicians’ job, usu. a performance date
go-go - (adj) describing style of pop music fashion, orig. 1960’s
golden oldie - Informal. hit pop song from earlier years, esp. rock-’n’-roll; oldie
Grammys - annual awards given by music industry for excellence and achievement in various categories of popular and classical music
groove - Slang. period of inspired, easy collaboration and performance among musicians; coherent rhythmic sense
groupie - Informal. pop music fan, esp. female, who follows the fortunes of a particular band, hoping to become intimate with its members
headbanger - Slang. fan or performer of heavy metal; metalhead
hip - (adj) knowledgeable about current trends in pop culture, esp. music; (n) up-to-date, latest sounds
hit - song achieving large commercial success
hit parade - current crop of hit songs, esp. used in the 1950’s
honky-tonk - rural or western-style bar
hook - immediately memorable and appealing musical catch phrase
hootenanny - folk song festival or sing-along
horn section - trumpets, trombones, and saxophones backing a combo on recordings or performances
jam - jam session; (vb) improvise with other musicians
jam session - impromptu musical performance; jam
jewel box - hinged plastic case for a compact disc
jingle - brief, catchy song advertising a product
jukebox - mechanical record-playing machine, esp. in bars and dance halls
juke joint - roadhouse, esp. in rural South, in which blues and rhythm-and-blues music is performed
karaoke - equipment that provides recorded instrumental music so that a person can sing lyrics to the music, either for a recording or broadcast by speakers as entertainment
label - company producing recordings, identified by a distinctive label or logo featuring its trade name on its releases
lead - short, instrumental passage over rhythm parts
lick - Slang. musical phrase; riff
liner notes - text sold with a recording offering background on musical content of record
lip-sync - (vb) mouth lyrics in sync with recording during performance
live recording - recording made at live performance
LP - long-playing record, usu. 33 13 rpm with a 12-inch diameter
lyricist - person who writes words that are set to another person’s music to form song
metalhead - headbanger
monster hit - pop recording with very great commercial and popular success
MOR - middle-of-the-road; radio programming style, precursor of easy rock or AOR
MTV - Trademark. Music Television; twenty-four-hour-a-day cable network featuring music videos
music video - commercial or promotional videotape featuring a performance of a song, often incorporating dancing, a narrative line, action, or animation, orig. 1980’s; video
novelty record - humorous pop song, often capitalizing on a topical subject
oldie - pop song from earlier years; golden oldie
open tuning - tuning guitar strings so that chords may be played without fretting individual strings
original - song composed by its performer
part - arrangement for each instrument used in a song
payola - Informal. bribe taken by disc jockey from record company to promote a recording on radio
pickup - electric amplification device on an instrument, esp. a guitar
pirate - (vb) illegally record, manufacture, or sell records and tapes
platter - Slang. a phonograph record
playlist - specified songs to be aired on radio show
producer - individual responsible for overseeing recording sessions by handling budget, hiring musicians and singers, choosing and arranging songs, and shaping the final sound
product - record or tape to be sold; music in general
race record - recording by black musicians in 1920’s-1930’s, esp. in southern United States
record - grooved disc on which music has been imprinted; (vb) register music on a medium from which copies can be made
record club - mail order membership club for the purchase of compact discs, cassettes, and records
release - distribution of a recording; date such distribution begins
reverb - echo effect popular on many rock-’n’-roll recordings
riff - short melodic passage played on an instrument; lick
rim shot - Informal. comic punctuation played by drummer after punch line of joke
roadie - Slang. equipment handler for touring band
scratch - (vb) make rhythmic sound by moving record back-and-forth under a turntable needle
section - group of horn or string players backing up band
session - musical recording period, esp. one day
set - complete performance for audience, including selection of songs played
set list - order of songs to be performed during set
sideman - musician employed on recordings or performances, usu. not member of band
single - featured song promoted from an album to boost sales or performance tour
slam dance - punk music dance in which dancers bump into and strike one another
sleeve - envelope covering record inside album jacket
solo - single instrument lead played over rhythm section, usu. in absence of vocals
songwriter - composer of music and sometimes lyrics for short musical pieces usu. made up of verses, chorus, and bridge
soul - ability to convey depth of feeling in musical performance
soundalike - recording that imitates successful artist, attempting to pass as the original upon casual listening
standard - familiar, often-played popular song with widely known lyrics
swing - (vb) perform freely, with feeling, and in tempo
sync - (vb) Informal. synchronize
talent - performers, singers, musicians
Tin Pan Alley - popular music, esp. of the recent past, named after New York site that housed many songwriters and music publishers
top 40 - AM radio format emphasizing the forty most-popular pop songs; list of these songs calculated and distributed weekly
topical song - narrative song that comments on a current event
tour - extensive series of performances in different cities
track - one song on album; single recording; each element of instrumental music behind vocals
unplugged - (adj) performed without electronic amplification or effects
verse - basic unit of a song, providing narrative and setting up chorus
video - music video
video jockey - VJ; host on music video program
VJ - video jockey
vocal - singer’s part of popular song
wah-wah pedal - pedal that distorts guitar sound, orig. 1960’s
Walkman - Trademark. compact portable cassette player used with earphones
wall of sound - full, lush sound quality in pop record production, originated by Phil Spector in 1960’s
wax - (vb) Informal. record