Electric, authentic, and precarious

Sound quality and new rock music audiences in Uruguay during the 1980s

Abstract

During the 1980s, in Montevideo, Uruguay, music and cultural critics constantly lambasted the sound quality at live rock shows. This recurring issue was due to three main factors: the economic challenge of acquiring electronic equipment, the deficiency of sound amplification systems, and the acoustic inadequacy of most venues dedicated to rock shows. In the following paper, we analyze the above criticisms and reflect on the relationship between journalists and musicians, as they debated sound amplification and the alleged crisis of rock music. We also look at the difficulties they faced in characterizing the new youth audiences that had emerged after the democratic transition. The crisis of rock music was sparked by the impossibility of incorporating rock into — and having it be heard within the constraints of — the broader tradition of Uruguayan music. Moreover, characterizing youth audiences proved complicated because of pre-existing notions of audiences as massive and homogenous, typical of the large-scale canto popular concerts during the dictatorship. Following a thorough survey of press coverage between 1984 and 1987, we analyze the statements of journalists and musicians, doing so from the point of view of cultural and acoustic studies. More specifically, we look at the statements made by members of the band Los Tontos, who described their strategies for overcoming economic hurdles and their perception of the period’s new music audiences.