The Beatles and McLuhan


The Beatles were a very influential and iconic band from the 70's (as you probably know). What you might not have known is that they changed everything about the music industry during their time. Before the Beatles, studio recordings were only important in that they could replicate the live performance, but the live performance was the most important part of being a musician. The Beatles started as a band like this, but slowly they began to mess with the technology available. In studio, they were able to layer tracks and perform multiple parts within one song. During live performances, they were limited by technology, so by 1966, they almost completely stopped giving concerts.

The Beatles were important to McLuhan's idea of a global village too, because so many people knew about them. Many different times, their music transcended time and space through technology, like for example their first appearance on American television; 23 million people tuned in live, therefore creating a simultaneous happening for an incredible amount of people. For their album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club band, they created a show that became about the music completely. This is evident with the line "We hope you have enjoyed the show".

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