How fast did Disco die after The Disco Riot of 1979?
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M$4 Answers
I think it's safe to mark that night - July 12, 1979 - as the day the disco died.
The build-up of backlash to disco music had been swelling slowly over months, and even years. It's breaking point was that night when a Cubs promotion to destroy disco records went awry and essentially turned into an anti-disco riot.
From that night on, radio stations across the country dropped disco like a hot potato (most beginning their own anti-disco campaigns). And shortly after that, many record labels either dropped disco or folded.
It's kind of the same phenomenon of how as of yesterday, we all L-O-V-E Michael Jackson music again. For years it got little radio play, few copped to being big fans, and album sales were paltry. But now everyone is a huge fan because there's a big media event going on. America, your bandwagon has landed!
And in July 1979, that bandwagon had a DISCO SUCKS bumper sticker.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_sY2rjxq6M
After watching this, I can't understand why disco didn't last? Look at those costumes - who couldn't love those???
Mostly disturbing amounts of disco knowledge, checked some dates over at www.wikipedia.org
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M$
I think the airwaves and TV shows were so inundated with a sugary elevator cover version of disco, it finally imploded into itself.
Do you remember Beethoven's 9th translated into a tinsel like former version of its true self through the magic of disco? I do.
I remember 1979 well. Yes I was young, but I was an old soul with music.
I just accepted disco filtering in through advertising as the latest pop fad.
I wasn't really paying that much attention back then anyway. I was busy idolizing David Bowie, sneaking into early punk rock concerts. My life in music was just begining when disco died, and I never looked back.
I tool my first job at a record store in Berkeley, ca. in early 1980 and never sold one disco record.
the record store
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M$
Techno, the arisen ghost of Disco.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FutbFvMRnZw&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L698B7LeZcY
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M$
I'll post a few quotes, but you should take a look at the whole "Backlash" section of the wiki article "Disco."
"Some historians have referred to July 12, 1979 as "the day disco died" because of an anti-disco demonstration that was held in Chicago."
"The television industry — taking a cue from the music industry — responded with an anti-disco agenda as well. . .The anti-disco backlash may have helped to cause changes to the landscape of Top 40 radio... encouraged these stations to drop all disco songs from rotation, filling the holes in their playlists with New Wave, punk rock, and album-oriented rock cuts."
"It should be noted that, unlike in the U.S., there was never a focused backlash against disco in Europe, and discotheques and the Disco culture continued past 1980 in Europe."
"It was during this backlash and decline that several record companies were folded, reorganized or sold. TK Records closed in 1981. ABC Records was sold to MCA Records in 1979, which shut down the label. Casablanca Records' founder Neil Bogart was forced out in 1980 by label owner PolyGram. RSO Records founder Robert Stigwood left the label in 1981."
I think that based off this information it is more than fair to say that this event had a great deal to do with the decrease in popularity of disco. Perhaps it was a sentiment that simply needed an event of some sort to jump start its growth and acceptance. The quote by Craig Werner, also on the wiki page, explains that it wasn't just disco music that was being attacked, but cultures and beyond, which is probably very true.
Sorry to just use a wikipedia article as a source, but I think it addressed all or most of your question and in a straightforward way. Are you looking for more quantitative facts?
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M$
Sorry for basically a repeat post, I was in the midst of typing mine when you replied.