The topic I’m researching is the globalization of rock music from its beginning till now. Rock music is definitely a global issue. People all over the world listen to it, and have their favorite band or singers. I’m trying to see what groups become global and why. Is it the lyrics that people like so much? Rock groups all have different sounds and images. I want to see which ones are the most popular, and where. Rock music has come a long way since the beginning, and is continuing to grow in all directions.

My topics area of study is humanities. This is the area of study for music. Key terms for me were music, rock ‘n’ roll, rock music, rock history, music culture, and rock songs. The most important databases for me are Sirs Knowledge Source, Art and Humanities Citation Index, and Proquest Direct. The most effective subject headings were ML and M. These were the headings for music. When using my topic’s key terms and subject headings I found a list of information that I wanted. Some key terms didn’t locate any information for me, so I keep working with new terms and headings to get the right kind of information I was looking for.

Billboard Top 40 Hit Albums: 1516 Broadway, NY 10036

This organization can give me lists of all kind of hit songs and groups. This is updated frequently, which shows me the amount of time a song stays popular. It also shows what’s popular in different countries, so I can compare what songs are going more global.

MTV: Cable TV, channel 37 in Moscow, Idaho

The Music Television Channel will also play the most popular music of today. It also has interviews and news information about groups anywhere in the world. This is a quick and easy way for me to get information on my topic.

Robbins, Ira A. The Trouser Press Guide to ‘90’s Rock. 5th Ed. New York: Simon &

Schuster, 1997.

This reference shows me what rock songs are hits in the 90’s. I can use this information to see what bands and singers are making popular songs. There could be important trends shown on the hit lists.

Oxford Dictionary of Modern Quotations. Oxford New York: Oxford University Press,

1991.

"Ev’rywhere I hear the sound of marching, charging

feet, oh, boy,

‘cause summer’s here and the time is oh, right for

fighting in the street, boy.

But what can poor boy do

Expect to sing for a rock ‘n’ roll band,

‘cause in sleepy London town

There’s just no place for street fighting man!"

"Street Fighting Man" (1968 song) by Mick Jagger and Keith Richard

I chose this quote because members of the Rolling Stones, a very popular and globally famous band, wrote it. This band made songs in the early sixties and seventies. It gives me an idea of what rock lyrics are like for a popular band.

"Music, History of." Encyclopedia Britannica Online.

2000. Encyclopedia Britannica. 9 May 2000.

This article basically informs people about rock music history from the start to now. It also discusses the purpose of music and what it does for people. This gives me good information about the effect rock music has on people.

"Rock." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 2000. Encyclopedia

Britannica. 9 May 2000.

In this article rock music is discussed as being a reflection of society. It also talks about how rock has expanded into many other categories. Rock is said to be a way to express feelings and opinions. I now have more important research information to develop my topic.

Brown, Charles T. The Art of Rock and Roll. New Jersey:

Prentice Hall, 1992.

The Art of Rock and Roll analyzes compositions using an easy chart style that shows the evolution of Rock from 1949-1990. The information in this book will give me some basic historical and cultural changes in each decade. This book I found at my local library using the catalog search.

Wicke, Peter. Rock Music. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1987.

This book addresses issues and offers a stimulating and insightful study of rock music. The information will cover a lot of information I can use for the transition of rock music. I also found this book at my local library using the computer catalog.

Unterberger, Richie. "Birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll Essay." All Music Guide to Rock. San

Francisco: Miller Freeman, 1997.

This article offered me information about how rock all started. I can find reasons in society, and what singers first started into rock music. This is important information to gather before getting the rest.

Schalit, Joel. "Maximum False Consciousness: The Political Economy of American

Punk." Bad Subjects. Issue #14 (May 1994). 2 June 2000.

This article talks about the creation of rock, and why it came about. It then talks about its progress and the development into punk rock. Rock has developed into many different kinds, so this article helps me to learn about one of the different types.

Dolfsma, Wilfred. "How Will the Music Industry Weather the Globalization Storm?"

First Monday. Volume 5, number 5 (May 2000). 30 May 2000.

"The Social Influence of Rock Music." Kibbutz Tamuz. 30 May 2000.

New Radicals, Maybe you’ve been brainwashed too. Universal City, Ca: MCA, 1998.

This source is a current rock band that has global popularity. I listened to the CD to hear the lyrics and the style of the group. This band is more alternative rock, which is a form of rock heard today. The lyrics in the songs deal with issues in people’s lives such as love, and questions on life. This source gives me a good idea of what rock music is popular now

The best way to find information on a topic is identifying the topic’s keywords. I must know the kind of information I want, and then use the proper strategy to locate the information. Sometimes, I found other things about my topic from only one search word.

I found information of all kinds about my topic. Some types of information that I found were the history of rock ‘n’ roll. Also, the cultural effects, and the different bands associated with it. There was information on chart hits, and the group’s popularity.

My topic is a big part of many cultures. Rock music has been around for a long time, and has many different forms today. I liked using the Internet to get a lot of my information. It’s so much easier, and more convenient to get the information. Learning all the different research strategies helped me see all the methods of locating my research. I found quite a bit from both the Internet and library materials.