What was one reason big bands of the 1940 died out?

Answer 1

Some big bands cannot keep up with the new trends, therfore losing their touch with the fans. if the fans don't like their music, they don't sell any albums. if they don't sell any albums, they don't make any money.

MoreFor a more thorough and historically-based answer please see the Related Question.

Answer 2

A number of factors contributed to the end of the Swing Era.

First, musical tastes change, and most popular styles eventually fall out of favor. But the Big Bands faced a number of factors that hastened their demise:

> During the 1930s many musicians were very underpaid. They didn't participate in royalties from their recordings but were tied to the companies that recorded the bands they played in. That discontent led to two strikes against the recording and publishing companies, but the strikes had the effect of preventing many of the bands from releasing new material or in some cases from performing at all. That effectively cut them off from their main audiences, who moved on to other styles such as vocal groups and solo singers.

> When the musicians did finally start making reasonable salaries they found that both fans and ballrooms weren't willing to pay the much-higher ticket prices needed to cover those costs. That cut down on attendance.

> Most of the musicians were young men and thus were prime candidates for the draft during WWII. Some bands had to shut down, while others tried to keep going with constantly-changing personnel or younger musicians (often high school students) who were simply not as experienced. The quality of the music suffered as a result. Also, the many fans who would have attended concerts were themselves in the military or working on the home front so they weren't able to go out dancing nearly as much.

> WWII severely limited travel, so many bands scaled back their appearances and stuck to broadcasts and recordings. That also discouraged fans who were accustomed to seeing the bands in person.

> When the war ended, there was an explosive change in Demographics as people who had postponed school, marriage, and careers tried to make up for lost time. Those demands prevented many people from enjoying the relatively carefree life they had had before the war.

> Technology changed, bringing FM radio, television, and LP records. That allowed people who were already more homebound to bring their entertainment "indoors", rather than going to a ballroom or theatre every week for live music.

> Finally, it's not too much to say that the loss of Glenn Miller in a possible plane crash during his Air Force service was a major blow to the bands' popularity. He had been the single most popular bandleader before the war, at one point accounting for about one-third of all record sales. His death was equivalent to, say, the effect on music if Elvis had died in 1960 or The Beatles had been killed in a 1965 plane crash.

Answer 3

All brass was melted down to make Ammo in WWII - hence no more big bands! :-)

Answer 4

The advent of television allowed people to be entertained at home instead of going to dance at a large club with swing music.

Answer 5

Actually they didn't die out. Today it is called swing and the sound is the same. There are modern bands who have CD's out.

Answer 6

Rock & Roll.