Introduction

David Bowie officially known as David Robert Jones was a popular English singer and Songwriter who also had role in acting. The popular musician was a popular figure in the music world for more than five decades until his demise in January 2016 and is still posthumously celebrated among the elite British musicians. In the 1970s, David Bowie stood out of other musicians through his popular albums that resonated with the public. David Bowie was versatile in his musical composition employing a variety of styles.  His earliest compositions were influenced by other rock musicians like Elvis Presley and Little Richards from whom he represented in his presentations (Buckley, 2012). David Bowies is also known to have adopted substantially from Anthony Newley whose vocals were predominant in his works.

David Bowie was a seasoned musician. The artist main genres were in art rock which is a precarious form of rock with deep concessions and articulation of artistic features. He was also a glam rock artist. Glam rock is a genre of music that attracts few rock artists due to its complexity in concepts. David Bowie turned out to be a pop musician who is attributed for the popular following that he commands and the religious influence emanating from not just his work but his personality (Buckley, 2012). The artist was also an enthusiast of electronic music and experimental sounds. The artist’s experimental orientation in music exceeds any musicians in his time.  His unique influences and expansive view of music resulted to a David Bowie Brand of music and representation. The musician was a vocalist who could play the guitar and saxophone. He was signed to labels such as RCA, Virgin, EMI, Columbia, Mercury, Dream, BMG, Pye, and Vocation labels among others.

David Bowie’s first album was titled The Hunky Dory released in 1971 followed by The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. This iconic album marked the   start of unconventional and experimental rock sounds.  The album was released in 1972. The artist went ahead and released other albums such as Aladdin Sane, Diamond Dogs in 1973 and 1974respectively. “Station to Station” in 1976, “Low” in 1977 among many others (Buckley, 2012). In 2016, the artists Album Black star was released. This marked his 27 studio albums and 9 live albums. The artist produced 49 compilation albums with 6 extended plays. He also had 121 singles produced during his career with 5 UK number one singles in the list. The artist has 14 video albums with 59 music videos and 3 soundtracks to his name.

Throughout his music career, David Bowie stood out among the popular and thus richest musicians. At the time of his death, the artist was valued at £600 million. This wealth was immersed during his musical career. The artist enjoyed successful world tours especially between 1974 and 2004. With his final record titled Blackstar set to be among his top ten successful albums, the artist is expected to make more money posthumously.

The United Kingdom Music Industry

The UK music industry is one of the world most vibrant music industries attracting millions of fans and talented musicians. The industry is known to be the source of the world best talents attracting musicians from all over the world. It is one of the major economic contributors to the United Kingdom economy accounting for a significant amount of revenue and capital towards the UK economy. The industry is also known to enjoy diverse genres of music.

The economic value of the UK music Industry

According to Music (2013) the music industry has made a significant contribution towards the United Kingdom economy. In an assessment of the Gross value added or the GVA, Music (2013) finds that the music industry contributed around £3.5 billion to the United Kingdom economy in 2012. Cloonan (2016) estimates the value of the GVA in 2015 to be around £4.9 billion indicating a significant increase of £1.4 billion within a span of three years. It is evident from the trend that the role of the music industry in the UK is continually increasing with higher level expected to be reached within the next five years. According to Cloonan (2016) over the past five years, the music industry growth level has reached 5% which is higher than any other sector of the United Kingdom economy.

In 2015 and 2016, the industry has registered significant revenues from the international market thus standing out among the highest sources of foreign exchange. Cloonan (2016) asserts that following the success of musicians such as Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith in the year 2015 within the international market, the exports contributed to more than £2.1 billion of revenue to the UK economy. This value is almost half of the GVA for the year 2015 and higher than the half of the GVA for the year 2014. Considering the average ratio of 30% across the United Kingdom, it is evident that the international market consumes significantly high amount of the United Kingdom Music. The United Kingdom is the world largest music consumer market relative to its population and size with regards to album purchases and digital sales.

Live performance and music is the sector of the music industry that contributes the highest towards the economy. According to Folwell, et al., (2012) and Roberts (2014) the music live performance sector of the music industry has a significantly increasing GVA levels and has the highest employment levels. Cloonan (2016) asserts that at least 26.7 million visits are made to the music concerts. The role of this sector in the economy is expounded by its expansive involvement of the public as concert attenders or as event organizers. The sector has also seen investment in music and talent shows that are targeted at scouting new talents with a total of £500 million invested in this venture.

Music tourism

The music industry is also known to be a major player in tourism. The industry attracts music lovers and talented artists from various countries in tourism initiatives that results to revenue into the economy. According to Roberts (2014) music tourism is largely influenced by the popularity of the local musicians and the number of concerts and live events held. The author asserts that in 2014, the sector generated revenues amounting to £3.1 billion of direct and indirect expenditure within the country. According to Roberts (2014) the average international tourist expenditure in the United Kingdom has increased by 13% in the past two years. Roberts (2014) assert that more than 9.5 million music lovers journeyed into the country to attend concerts and live events. The number increased by 34% since 2011 and is anticipated to increase as illustrated by Roberts (2014) in his 2015 projections.

The global and EU music market

Crane et al., (2016) describes the music consumption level globally to be exploding due the contemporary culture that enhances distribution and access of music. The industry registered a 3.2% increase in 2016 revenues through sales of music through both digital and traditional avenues. According to Crane et al., (2016) the industry revenue grew to £11.34 billion with the European countries contributing 55% of the revenues. The industry is rated among the fastest growing industries with extensive innovation. According to Crane et al., (2016) Musicians are among the highest paid with Katy Perry ranked among the highest paid celebrity by Forbes in 2015 after she earned £102 million.

David Bowie’s Music

Starting from his early recordings in the 1960s, David Bowie was among the few rock musicians who saw the next age of rock music. The artists employed a wide variety of musical genres but with one distinct aspect of uniqueness. While his compositions and performance were heavily influenced by Presley, David Bowie came out as an unnatural artist with sounds that were viewed to be ahead of their time. His approach to music was more of an expression of his self and inner feelings that would raise a different aspect of his fans.

Bowies Music Genre

According to Post (2013) in an assessment of the various theories of music, music theoretical and methodological approaches can emphasize on the cultural, social, cognitive, material, biological, and other dimensions that relate to the context. In an analysis of the ethnomusicology theories, the authors note that these aspects are critical in forming the fan base and a strong connection to the fans. Bowie is one of the ardent contemporary employers of ethnomusicology theoretical models. The author employs the cultural context to define a genre of music as described by Post (2013).

Musicologist defines the genre of music that David Bowie based on his various albums. The artist has been viewed to transition across genres with his different albums taking different musical stylists. In his single “Space Oddity” the artist is described to have adopted high octave switches for different repetitions of the same melody (Bowie, 2003). This sound is exemplified into the song Heroes to a level of drama that stands out. His voice laced the sound to an ensemble that is unique to his music. His sound was described by many to be an intriguing feeling that aroused their inner and deeper emotions. His vocals were deliberate and distinct. The artist’s voice changed over time to a dramatic effect that produced an energetic effect.

Some of David Bowie’s albums were art rock. Art rock is a form of expressive rock that emphasizes on the artistic attributes of the song. Bowie in most of his album was artistic in his voice expression, instrumentation, and physical expressions (Bowie, 2003). The musician’s early albums were basically art rock which was complicated for the audience at the time. Some of the albums by the artist were glam rock and pop.  The artist also produced albums that were electronic and experimental sounds. The electronic and experimental sounds are most definitive of the artist. The intense energy of the artist and the sounds are typical of the Bowie image.

Bowie fashion

The concepts of comparative musicology as described by Savage and Brown (2013) identify theoretical models that are applicable in identifying the type of context of a song. In their assessment, Savage and Brown (2013) discuss the use of fashion style and its implication on the representation of the genre of music. The theory relates fashion with cultural aspects of the music emphasizing on the role of fashion as a musical element. This context forms the basis of analysing Bowies use of fashion and his choice of unconventional ethnic fashion essence in presenting his innovative musical sound.

David Bowie evolved in fashion with various unconventional designs. The artist is known for outstanding attires of different representations. In some occasions, the artist wore costumes that were consistent with the typical rock attires while in other occasions he wore what would be referred to as Bowie’s unique looks. The artist was exceptionally experimental in his attire (Bowie, 2003). However, he influenced the public into wearing the lightening branded attire that was viewed to be a representation of the out of space appearance.

David Bowie’s career

David Bowie had a successful musical career that outlived him. David Bowie musical career was so colourful he earned a number of nicknames including the title the Picasso of pop. He is considered one of the most influential music writers and artists in the music world. He started off in the 1960s as a struggling artist trying out different kind of music while releasing several albums (Cagle, 1995). He was also involved in various artistic activities such as painting, playwriting, and acting without much commercial success. Bowie made his first breakthrough in 1969 when his song “Space Oddity” released at the time of the moon landing made a breakthrough in the music world.

The song was about an astronaut who got lost in space. The song was used by BBC while broadcasting the moon landing. After the hit song, Bowie made successful albums that caught the public’s attention with their unique sound (Cagle, 1995). However, his subsequent single “The man who sold the world” covered by Lulu and Nirvana failed to make an impact in the music scene. The artist career was viewed to be dwindling as he failed to make a hit single.

Devereux et al., (2015) states that Bowie made a successful comeback in 1972 with the album ‘”Ziggy Stardust.” The album was about space describing a space age rock star. The alum market the making of an artist who would then produce albums that are cantered on the particular artist and his person. He was the main character in his albums that were based on futuristic Armageddon, gender dysfunction, and the destruction of success and fame. His albums were also based on themes that pointed on the dangers of star warship (Cagle, 1995). Following his success in the early 1970s the artist became a heavy cocaine abuser.

Devereux et al., (2015) takes a journey through the life of the artist. According to Devereux et al., (2015) the mid-1970s marked the beginning of a new Bowies (Buckley, 2012). The artist changes his style of music in 1975 through the album “Young American.” The album that he later referred to as the plastic soul produced his first hit single in the United States. The song “Fame” became a hit song in the United States opening up new doors for the predominantly United Kingdom artist. Following his success, the artist features in his first main movie in 1976 titled “The Man Who Fell to Earth.” The artist adopted a look of alien that resonated with his musical connotation in the movie. In 1977, the artist released “Station to Station.” This period was followed by excessive use of cocaine that made the artist return to Europe and settle in Berlin.

In Berlin, Bowie changed tack in music again. It is in Berlin where the artist recorded the songs that were most influential. Three of the most influential Bowie albums were recorded in this time in Berlin. These albums are an electronic trilogy with Brian Eno “Low, Heroes, and Lodger”. Following these albums, the artist kicked his cocaine behaviour to record the album “Scary Monsters” that was Japanese influenced (Buckley, 2012).  He also played Elephant Man on Broadway. At this period, the artist flourished both as a musician and an actor taking up various critical roles and realizing some of his best albums including “Serious Moonlight.”

In the 1980s, the artist took a different turn with his music again. The artist turned his back on his solo career joining a hard rock band. The band named Tim Machine has a limited appeal. At the same time, his acting career took a southward part after dismal performance of the Labyrinth released in 1986. The band Tim Machine released two albums while performing in various live events. The artist relaunched his solo career in 1992 with the release of his album “The Black White Noise.” Bowie also released a wedding album during the period (Buckley, 2012). The artist enjoyed commercial success with the release of three albums. The artist continued with his solo career releasing a number of albums before he suffered a heart attack in June 2004. The artist recovered to more activities in 2006 including doing a voice performance in the cartoon SpongeBob  Square Pants (Buckley, 2012). The artist took a ten years break before releasing his album “The Next Day” in 2009. Bowie had an influential career that ended with his death in 2016.

David Bowies Impact and influence

David Bowie employed perception as defines in music psychology to create influence and have impact on his fans. According to Deutsch (2013) in an analysis of the theory of music psychology, perception is a critical psychological instrument in music. By creating an idealized world or presenting a dimension of the contemporary world that has been unexplored, musicians are able to paint a perception of the world to their fans. This perception creates a connection between the two through the imposition of a type of world.

Davie Bowie is described to be an artist who brought a new dimension to popular music dating from the early 1970s. The artist extensively influenced his immediate forms of music and subsequent development of the popular music. He was the pioneer of glam rock starting a journey of a type of rock music that has been widely adopted since his albums (Buckley, 2015). The artist is credited to be the father of glam rock. He is also mentioned among the musicians who inspired the creators of punk rock. He is credited to have sophisticated the rock music that ultimately led to the acceptance of the unconventional rock sounds.

Bowie is described by historians to be the musician who ignited progressive rock in the 1970s when the genre of music was stagnant and lacked experimentation (Buckley, 2015). He transition rock at the time from the self-satisfied sound to unique sounds that have influenced the contemporary rock sounds and the merger of rock with other genres. He is believed to have created the biggest cult in popular culture with a unique and distinct culture in both sound and fashion. The artist was voted by other musicians in 2000 to be the most influential artist of all time through a poll by NME.

The role of Bowie in progressive rock is consistent with the theoretical position in music psychology associated with cognitive influences. According to Dowling and Tighe (2014) the theory of music psychology defines cognition to be the process of mental action of acquiring knowledge and understanding it through senses. The authors point out that the human cognition process is both conscious and unconscious, it is abstract, conceptual and intuitive. The process can generate new knowledge based on the past knowledge. In music psychology as pointed out by Dowling and Tighe, (2014) music lovers can comprehend abstract sounds and derive knowledge and comprehension from it. Bowie exploits this attribute defined as cognitive musicology to change his music and transition rock sounds.

According to Buckley, (2015) the artist is compared to the Beatles for having ignited a generation of distinct sounds. He started the march towards creative rock and the versatility in the sounds produced. He is also one of the first artists to juggled different genres of music within rock sounds.   He tried different sounds within his music career opening up ways for other artist to explore various sounds. The artist is known to have produced different albums with different genres of music. Before Bowie, rock artists were restricted to a particular sound of the genre of music. However, his experimenting with different types of rock sounds and proving successful opened up a new generation of rock artists playing different forms of the sound within their particular careers.

The generation of new rock artist is based on the academic position on music psychology related to motivation. According to Tan et al., (2013) cognitive neuroscience  of music extends beyond the perception of the music to the production process. The theory points out on the influence of the perception to production. In the context of the theory, the perceiver of the music who may be a fellow musician, the musician, or a fan, can produce similar music based on the cognitive neurological influences. Tan et al., (2013) asserts that the development of a genre of music is out of a complex process that involves cognitive neuroscience within a particular ethnography. This process explains the influence of Bowie on other musicians.

Driver, (2016) asserts that Bowie is one of the earliest musicians from the United Kingdom to successfully explore the United States music industry with their rock sounds and succeed. Bowie and other musicians are the first group of artists to introduce the United Kingdom rock sound into the United States opening up a fan appeal of the United Kingdom’s music across the borders. According to Driver, (2016) presently, various rock artists from the United Kingdom target the overseas music market with their sounds. Various rock musicians have succeeded in appealing to the overseas market with their music.

Devereux et al., (2015) asserts that Bowie as a celebrity has extensive influence in sexuality. Following his open disclosure of his gay tendencies he was viewed by the gay community as a torch bearer and an emblem of acceptance of the community across the globe. His fashion sense and gay appearance has been adopted by various fans. His stand against fascism and racism echoed across the globe especially following his criticism of MTV in 1983 for not airing enough coverage of black musicians. His song “Panic in Detroit” was used by Michael Moore in his documentary “The Big One” to express support of human right.

Conclusion

Various authors have analysed the life of David Bowie. The analysis establishes that the artist was renowned for being more than an entertainer and a performer but an artist who opened up new avenues in the rock music genre. The artist created a brand that can be described to be versatile. The artist is described by most of the literature reviewed to be a visionary who extended the boundaries of rock  sounds and adopted an artistic self-expression approach to the music that opened up ways for contemporary artist to try new sounds.

The authors also assert that the artist influence extended beyond the albums that he released to include a lifestyle. His position as an artist with extensive influence existed beyond his life. Receiving extensive recognition from fellow musicians and fans, Bowie stands out to be a representation of transition across various generations during his music career that expanded beyond three generations. His influence is also depicted to have extended beyond the United Kingdom border to incite a new crow in the United States.

 

 

References

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