The cycle of creation, maturation, and eventual elimination of certain revenue streams in the music industry have occurred throughout music history.
Using the background information provided below as a starting point, for this week’s assignment:
Write an essay of between comparing and analyzing the period of creation, maturation, and elimination of specific music industry revenue streams during Mr. Davis’ career (1950-1980) and compare with that of Ms. Twain (1990-present).
As part of your analysis, please provide an informed opinion on the level of success of Ms. Twain’s comeback.
Include any visuals that might help support your analysis and make sure you provide references and cite all your sources according to APA guidelines
Background on Sammy Davis Jr.
Sammy Davis Jr. was an American singer, dancer, actor, and comedian, whose career began at an early age in his father’s act, the Will Masten Trio. He first became noticed in 1951, when his nightclub act at a famous Los Angeles venue catapulted him into the limelight. For the remainder of the decade, he went on to become a recording artist, a revered actor in film, and a star on TV and Broadway.
During his early stint with his father’s trio, his primary revenue source was from live performance engagements and it wasn’t until his breakthrough as a hit nightclub attraction, at the dawn of the new technological medium, television, that he was able to diversify his income streams to include film and TV. However, during the ’60s his career slowed and it wasn’t until his 1972, no. 1 hit recording, “Candyman,” that, at the age of 42, he was able to make a comeback, earn the nickname “Mr. Show Business,” and become a solo star on the Las Vegas stage, which was then the most desirable and best revenue-earning circuit for entertainers.
Sammy Davis Jr., “The Candy Man,” 1972
At that time, a few major and independent record labels controlled the wide distribution of albums and singles and radio stations held sway over what records became hits. In addition, youth-oriented rock and R&B artists dominated the charts and made it hard for an artist over the age of 40 to impact the charts.
Background on Shania Twain
Canadian-born artist Shania Twain crossed over from her country roots to become a pop superstar in the 1990s, selling albums in the multi-millions. However, she released her last album in 2002 and retired two years later.
Shania Twain, Super Bowl XXXVII Halftime Performance in San Diego, California, 2003
In the years to follow, the artist lived through a personal crisis and illness, published a memoir, and began a slow return into the public eye, with a reality TV show and a two-year residency in Las Vegas. In 2015, she mounted a performing and recording comeback in the rapidly budding Digital Age, and her new studio album, the first after a 15-year hiatus, came out in 2017.
