The Italian Song Festival, more commonly known as the Sanremo Festival, is a music festival that has been held continuously since 1951 and has since become one of the country's main media events. It was founded with the aim of increasing tourism in the Ligurian town during the season when the eponymous municipality was scarce. It was decided to create a singing competition, inviting artists from across the country. Since 1955, it has been broadcast by RAI, becoming an entertainment and cultural product, achieving audience ratings exceeding 50%.
The Frankfurt School and Media Studies
The progressive diffusion of mass media starting in the early twentieth century contributed to the growing attention of sociology, which studied their peculiarities. The Frankfurt School , for example, through the authoritative voices of Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno, noted how the birth and rapid spread of the culture industry—that is, the set of economic actors and activities involved in producing and distributing cultural goods—was transforming the social reality of the time. The spread of the culture industry found important allies in technological innovations that permitted tools of ever-increasing performance quality, from the birth of urban civilization, to the improvement of economic conditions that allowed greater possibilities for the enjoyment of industrial products and consequently of cultural ones.
The increased opportunity for individuals to enjoy leisure time, which needed to be filled, proved to be highly significant. The cultural industry was able to permeate this space and consequently see its power grow exponentially. MA Toscano and E. Gremigni, in their text "Introduction to the Sociology of Cultural Heritage," describe this phenomenon with the term " amusement, " identified with the extension of working hours, sought by those seeking to escape the mechanical nature of work so as to be able to return to it. Amusement therefore represents the leisure that allows individuals to fill their free time.
Between paleo and neo television
The cultural industry has succeeded in creating an indefinite number of products, some of which went almost or totally unnoticed, others that had one or more moments of glory only to be subsequently set aside or forgotten, but some of them have become part of the cultural heritage of popular culture. The Sanremo Festival, which this year reaches its seventy-second edition, falls into the latter category . Sanremo is both tradition and innovation, having grown and changed profoundly, representing Italian culture throughout different historical eras. Its evolution paralleled that of Italian television, which, as Umberto Eco noted, experienced two main phases: Paleotelevision and Neotelevision.
Paleo -television , otherwise known as early television, consisted primarily of news, culture, and, to a lesser extent, entertainment programs. Its technological development was rather limited, with black-and-white images and broadcast time limited to a few hours a day. Neo-television, typical of modern times, featured a constant stream of twenty-four-hour news and entertainment programs, often accompanied by advertising. Sanremo's evolution paralleled that of Italian television.
Sanremo: Not Just a Music Festival
While music has been and remains the main protagonist, what has changed most is the spectacularization of the show. One example is the progressive extension of its duration, from an initial single evening to a five-day run, which has thus allowed for an enrichment of the entertainment. Just as the transition from Paleo to Neo television was characterized by the presence of advertising, spectacularization, and entertainment, Sanremo has been influenced by this, becoming an event that, in addition to offering music, thanks to the intellectual and artistic contributions of the hosts and guests who participate annually, creates moments of comedy, addresses socially relevant issues such as homosexuality, gender violence, racism, and so on, allowing us to connect with others and reflect on social, cultural, and political issues.
The presence of advertising allows for resources to be invested in supporting the show's costs. With the advent of social media, the Sanremo Festival has transcended the television screen and become transmedia, spanning social media, the web, and radio. The gradual migration to platforms other than television and radio has allowed for more active audience participation, allowing audiences, for example, to express their opinions live, vote for their favorite songs, and interact remotely with other viewers.
The social function of the Sanremo Festival
Music, the true protagonist of the event, plays a central role in the creation of the popular culture promoted by Sanremo, primarily thanks to the interdependent relationship between music and the relevant socio-cultural system and the social dynamics created not so much by the musical product itself, but rather by the relationships in the processes of enjoying musical products. Music, echoing Durkheim, contributes to shaping a cognitive identity . Through it, individuals create shared experiences (think, for example, of the cohesion that develops during a concert), strengthens the sense of group, creates a sense of belonging, and has an educational function. Music in Sanremo has followed the changes in society, has evolved, and proposed new genres and modes of communication.
The Sanremo Festival therefore transcends time and space, it is an integral part of Italian popular culture . Many love it, just as many hate it, but with each edition it makes people talk about it, it evolves, it shapes social reality like few cultural elements manage to achieve, because Sanremo is Sanremo.
Andrea Zampieri
Bibliography
- MA Toscano, E. Gremigni, Introduction to the Sociology of Cultural Heritage, The Letters, 2008;
- Colombo F., Eugeni R., History of Communication and Entertainment in Italy. The Media and the Challenge of Democracy (1945-1978) (Vol. 2), Life and Thought, 2016;
