Tin Pan Alley

Tin Pan Alley was the name given to the collection of New York City-centered music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States of America in the late 19th century and the early 20th century.

Related Topics:
New York City - Music publisher - Songwriter - United States of America - 19th century - 20th century

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The start of Tin Pan Alley is usually dated to about 1885, when a number of music publishers set up shop in the same district of Manhattan. The end of Tin Pan Alley is less clear cut; some date it to the start of the Great Depression in the 1930s when the phonograph and radio finally supplanted sheet music as the driving force of American popular music, while others consider Tin Pan Alley to have continued on into the 1950s when earlier styles of American popular music were upstaged by the rise of rock & roll.

Related Topics:
1885 - Manhattan - Great Depression - 1930s - Phonograph - Radio - Sheet music - 1950s - Rock & roll

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Tin Pan Alley was originally a specific place, West 28th Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue in Manhattan.

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The name "Tin Pan Alley" was originally derogatory, a reference to the sound made by many pianos all playing different tunes in this small urban area, producing a cacophony comparable to banging on tin pans. With time this nickname was popularly embraced and many years later it came to describe the USA music industry in general.

Related Topics:
Piano - Tin - Music industry

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