Woodstock and the Live Sound Industry in the Late 1960s

The history of live sound production in the US is still to be written. This article traces some elements of the initial growth of the live sound industry in the late 1960s, with Woodstock and its sound contractor Hanley Sound serving as a starting point. Placing the company’s accomplishments in the context of a wider network of sound practices and companies, I argue that a new sound paradigm was created in the late 1960s and that, for the first time, it revolved around the needs of popular music.