Lost in the Mainstream: The Commercialization of Music

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE presents a virtual PAST FORWARD conversation exploring how music is commodified and what is lost in the process. This conversation is inspired by the new film "The War on Disco," premiering Monday, October 30 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV.

Panelists will discuss what is meant by "mainstream" culture, how an art form can move from its original context to a space of "broader" appeal, and the changes that the art form undergoes in this process.

Featured guests:

Jefferson Cowie: the James G. Stahlman Professor of History at Vanderbilt University, whose work in social and political history focuses on how class, race, and labor shape American politics and culture

Ayana Contreras: cultural historian, memory worker, radio DJ and archivist. An avid collector with over 8000 vintage vinyl records, she hosts the Reclaimed Soul program on WBEZ and Vocalo Radio in Chicago

The discussion will be moderated by Timothy D. Taylor, Professor in the Departments of Ethnomusicology, Anthropology, and Musicology at UCLA.

The conversation will also be streamed live on AMERICAN EXPERIENCE's Facebook and YouTube channels.