Popular music was a powerful and persistent influence in the daily life of millions in interwar Britain, yet these crucial years in the development of the popular music industry have rarely been the subject of detailed investigation. For the first time, here is a comprehensive survey of the British popular music industry and its audience. The book examines the changes to popular music and the industry and their impact on British society and culture from 1918 to 1939. It looks at the business involved in the supply of popular music, how th industry organized itself, and who controlled it. It attempts to establish the size of the audience for popular music and to determine who this audience was. Finally, it considers popular music itself - how the music changed, which music was the most popular, and how certain genres were made available to the public.

CONTENTS:
Introduction
The Mechanised Popular Music Industry
1. The Rise of the Gramophone and the Development of the British Gramophone Industry
2. The Role of the Gramophone in Daily Life in Interwar Britain and its Effect on Musical Culture
3. Radio, Cinema, and Popular Music in Interwar Britain
The Live Popular Music Industry
4. Developments in Live Music 1918 to 1939: From Performers to Listeners
5. Live Music: Dance Bands, Dance Music, and Dance Musicians
6. The Expansion and Development of the Dance Hall Industry
7. The Experience of Dancing, Dance Halls, and the Dance Culture 1918-1939
'Going to the Palais'
Dancers, Dance Culture & Interwar Society
Dance Halls & Sex
Popular Music and Popular Music Artists8 Tastes in Popular Music 1918-1939
8. Tastes in Popular Music 1918-1939
Conclusion

"Nott should be congratulated for a work that runs from the comedy of George Formby, the musicals of Jessie Matthews, the swing of Benny Goodman, and the star status of dance band leaders such as Jack Hylton, Henry Hall, and Jack Payne. This is a fine, scholarly monograph and the author demonstrates a clarity of expression throughout. Such a comprehensive account of inter-war commercial music deserves a long shelf life among studies of twentieth-century popular culture." - MATTHEW HILTON, English Historical Review

"This academic but readable book will fascinate the enthusiast and social historian alike ... for those seriously interested in the analysis of popular music it is a must." - Journal Into Melody

JAMES J. NOTT is Lecturer in British History, University of Edinburgh.

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