Tim Quirk says he is not the Google Tim, but the Music Tim.
Quirk, head of global content programming for Google Play, lectured on Monday night at the Old Capitol about the history of the Walkman, how it changed, what people listen to, and how people listen to music.
Throughout the lecture, Quirk described how the revolution of music changed from the personal stereo to the iPod most Americans use today.
He said the job of the music industry is to get people to listen to more music and different kinds of music.
Quirk also notecd that artists gain a snowball effect in their genre with little difference, turning one artist to superior status, while others do not. This happens because people tend to buy albums that are already endorsed by society, he said.
Quirk’s motivation to become a music writer was brought out from economical reasons that most fathers would go through.
“I had to pay my daughter’s tuition,” he said. “But I lucked into the time, because I was living in San Francisco in the late-90s when the dot-com boom was first happening.”
Several UI students who turned out to the lecture Monday night enjoyed Quirk’s discussion about the history of music for various reasons.
“It was more interesting than I thought it was going to be,” said Maddie Tomlinson, a junior majoring in communication studies. “It applies to the things we learn in class, as far as the music producers and how music is being displayed today.”
UI sophomore Erik Leon also enjoyed the lecture.
“I thought it was interesting to understand the history of music, from when it used to be more social and public to becoming more personal,” he said.
Quirk, who said he did not get a straight job until he was 35, shared some of his advice to the fellow university students.
He warned that it might be hard to get hired. However, he revealed that once a person is hired, moving through the ranks can be easy.
“There are folks who do whatever is asked and stop, and there’s folks who do whatever is asked and look around for other ways to contribute,” he said. “The later category is smaller than the former one, but they stand out to managers.”