t economic phenomenon. The excep tionally high earnings of an insignificantly small number of rock music performers, together with the opulent lifestyle in which many of them lead, is persuasive evidence to many people that rock and roll music is a potent factor in the economy of many countries. Such evidence, however, is limited, and hardly conclusive.
This research examines rock and roll music in an economic context. The scope of the research is relatively narrow, as it focuses on the so called British Invasion, in which British rock and roll was exported to and widely accepted in the United States (Apple Press, 1971; Carr, 1970; Cartnal, 1972; Gaines, 1965; Goldstein, 1969; Hopkins, 1985; Johnston, 1968; Roxon, 1979; Time Magazine, 1967; Time Magazine, 1971). Thus, this research attempts to develop answers to the following questions:
1. Was the effect of the export of British pop rock music in the 1960 1980s on the United Kingdom's balance of trade a measurable effect?
2. Was the effect of the export of British pop rock music on the United Kingdom's balance of trade of sufficient magnitude to make measurement worthwhile? 3. What was the economic significance of the effect of the export of British pop rock music on the balance of trade of the United Kingdom in the 1960 1980 time period?
MEASURABILITY OF BRITISH POP ROCK EXPORT
To the enthusiast, rock and roll music is the sound, the lyrics, the meaning, the context, or some combination of those and other factors. To the recording industry, the music retailer, accountants, and economists, however, rock and roll music is records, tapes, compact discs, and video tapes, con verted once to units (numbers of records, and so forth), and converted a second time into economic value (monetary denomina tions). An economic assessment of the effect of British pop rock music on the exports of the United Kingdom, thus, becomes a painful exercise for the rock music enthusiast...