The music business empire, who are they, where did they come from, what have they done?
What started as coverage for circuses, fairs, and burlesque shows, in the 21st century, is now one of the music industry’s largest empires to this day; Billboard. William Donaldson and James Hennegan founded the American entertainment brand as a trade publication for billposters and advertising. Donald’s vision for the company drifted from its original concept as outdoor entertainment grew, railroads became more developed, and the mail forwarding system improved. To say Donald was a risk taker is an understatement as he began to publish information about news shows, gossip, and African-American performers, opening the doors for the first black critic at a national magazine.
As technology changed, so did the national magazine. Phonographs, record players, wireless radios, and the jukebox changed the game, opening the doors for Billboard to focus more on music; in the 1920’s Billboard created its radio broadcasting station. Billboard then became known as a music industry specialist, covering various genres and having 28 charts by 1994, and by the end of the 90’s the empire dubbed itself “bible” of the recording industry.
Today, Billboard publishes weekly columns written by industry experts covering entertainment, news, gossip, music reviews, and much more. Billboard also publishes its weekly charts, displaying the top artists, albums, and singles in the industry within the various genres. The accomplishments of each artist are celebrated at the Billboard Music Awards, every year, where the best artists in the industry hit the stage and put on a show for the world to celebrate music! Hundreds of artists have hit the Billboard stage and have had the opportunity to take an award home. Each year, an Icon artist is selected, which recognizes his or her accomplishments over their years in the industry. This year, the Billboard Awards were held on May 20th in Las Vegas. Janet Jackson took home the Billboard Icon Award, Luis Fonsi gave a shout out to the Latin community, and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School survivors took the stage with Khalid and Shawn Mendes. Billboard continues to rein the music industry, coming a long way from its initial ventures.