The Evolution of Music

Music is loved universally, in all its forms.  Music has been a part of our lives since before recorded time.  Music has progressed into the complex and diverse thing it is today.  An early form of complex music that was written and performed is the classical European music we commonly associate with names like Bach and Mozart.
Music really started to evolve rapidly at the turn of the 20th century.  Radios made music explode because people could listen to music without either buying it, or listening to it live at a performance.  Early in the 20th century music like jazz and other similar music was quite popular. 
Elvis Presley was one of the first highly famous icons, with his very successful career.  He became famous in the mid-50s and had many popular songs and albums until he died in 1977 from drug abuse.  In the 60’s music started becoming Rock and Roll, from the influences of Elvis.  Bands like the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and the Doors all had a large presence in the 60’s.  The Beatles became a sensation, releasing hit after hit until 1970. 
In the 70’s rock really took off.  Rock became more mainstream with bands like the Eagles and Led Zeppelin pioneering this new genre of music.  Led Zeppelin was a major player in introducing heavier rock.  Aerosmith was another very popular band in the 70’s thanks to their excellent vocals by Steven Tyler, and catchy guitar riffs.  ACDC is a very well-known band even today for many hit singles and chart topping albums.  They were also a big part of the 80’s.
The 80’s was a very important decade for music.  With many poplar rock bands still making hits such as Bon Jovi and U2, many new styles of music were emerging.  Bands like Duran Duran and Eurythmics became popular with their new sound.  The synthesizer was a fairly new invention as well as other new technology that made electric music possible.  A genre that got it’s start in the 80’s is rap/hip hop.  Most popular among young people and African Americans, rap wasn’t played much on the radios due to it’s often vulgar content.  However, some more popular groups such as Run D.M.C. and the Beastie Boys, had some chart toppers that made it onto the radio.  One group, N.W.A was very influential and exposed the discrimination of the cops in inner-city L.A.  They caused unrest in certain areas and were even warned by the FBI because they were promoting violence against police.  They soon split up and the individual members including Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and Easy-E pursued their own careers.  Easy-E soon thereafter died and they reunited to make a tribute to him. 
The 90’s was the decade where pop became a very dominant genre.  Many new styles were introduced with a heavy use of electric and synthetic beats.  Boy bands became very popular on the radio and the charts.  Some of these include NSYNC (in-sync), New Kids On the Block, and The Backstreet Boys.  All of which were very popular with their danceable beats and lyrics, mainly targeted at teens.  Rock went a few new directions, there was the more so radio friendly pop-rock.  Grunge/punk was another tier of rock that was particularly popular in the 90’s.  Some of the more well-known grunge/punk bands include Nirvana, Green Day, and the Offspring.  The other direction rock went was heavy metal, which wasn’t too popular but definitely had a decent sized following.  Rap remained popular with icons like Outkast, Cypress Hill, and Naughty by Nature.
The 2000’s rapidly changed the music industry.  Pop, or mainstream music, is becoming more influenced by electro in its beats.  The Black Eyed Peas and The Gorillaz are two groups that found success with this new sound.  Rock continued on the same pace as in the 90’s, but with alternative and punk becoming even more popular with bands like My Chemical Romance, Panic! At The Disco, and Fall Out Boy embodying a big part of the punk/pop rock industry.  Rap is becoming more and more popular as time goes on, even to the point of certain rappers making music that topped charts and went platinum.  One artist that emerged in the early 2000’s and is still making music today is Eminem.  His albums, “The Marshall Mathers LP” and “The Eminem Show”, even went diamond, which means that it sold over 30 million copies.  He is often considered to be the best rapper of all time.  Other rappers such as Jay-Z and Ludicrous, had great success as well. 
The 2010’s at least up to 2016 have made music even more accessible with smartphones and music streaming apps that allow us to listen to music anytime we want.  Mainstream music is becoming even more influenced by electro and now by rap.  Many mainstream hits are slower and more about love and relationships, as this appeals to teens and young adults.  New rock seems to be losing a bit of support with not too many new hit bands.  However, bands like Disturbed, Five Finger Death Punch, and Avenged Sevenfold are all still making hits.  Rap is becoming more mainstream, and very popular among teens.  Successful rappers of the 2010’s include Kanye West, Drake, and once again Eminem.  Drake had multiple successful albums of this decade, “Views” having topped the charts for 6 weeks in 2016. 
This is how music has developed from the mid 20th century to now.  Rock started out slow, and made its way to the mainstream, but is losing its support to new music.  Rap also started out slow, but made its way to the mainstream.  Pop has always been there, but has taken influences from other genres that are popular at the time.
Source: Google (for the particular times bands were recording)