Monetizing off Melancholy: The Commodification of Blues Music

Throughout musical history, it has been evident that Black music has been commodified by white profiteers. Regardless of the genre, the music has been altered and modified then money has been made off of the result.

The genre of Blues is a genre that comes from the struggle, toil, and hardship of African Americans.  The genre granted Blacks the ability to vocalize their pasts consisting of enslavement.

Not too long after the genre erupted, white people sought the opportunity to get their hands on the newfound creation. Following Radical Reconstruction, Blues was disseminated across the country by the black freedman who made the journey north; this is how artists like Mick Jagger and Elvis Presley were introduced to the music that made them such a success. But with this commercialization, the essence of blues was lost.

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