Help me out!

Hi,

I'm a student, and I'm in my final year of high school. In that year you are required to make a thesis (sort of). It happens to be that my topic is about Pink Floyd, or rahter, 'How has Pink Floyd changed the music industry?'.
I'm not a musical genius, and I don't have that much knowlegde about music (it probably was a stupid idea to choose this topic :p ). That's why I need your help!
If some of you could help me with this question I'd be very happy.

What revolutionary changes has Pink Floyd made in the music industry, both technically as musically? And do you know some bands that were that inpired by Pink Floyd, that they probably weren't a succesful band if Pink Floyd had not existed?

You are helping me a lot if you could answer! It doesn't have to be a very long post. Thanks!

(oh and sorry for my bad grammar, English is not my native language )

It's well known that Pink Floyd are innovative on a technical level; they were the first band to tour with their own light show, their own customized sound system, specially-commissioned films to accompany their live music, inflatable props etc. Their shows revolutionized the industry of rock and roll touring. I could provide a more speculative answer to the second question... but there are plenty of musicians in more recent bands that cite them as an important musical influence. Dave Navarro from Jane's Addiction and Trent Reznor from NIN spring to mind.

One of the obvious musical trends introduced by PF was the 14 to 20-minute multi-stuctured track in an era where most rock/pop songs were about 3 minutes long.

Thanks for the answers.. Please keep 'em coming!

Did PF also use new instruments or did they invent new ways to record their music?

Not really, no. It was unusual at the time for a rock band to employ synthesizers, tape loops/sound effects and long multi-part song suites to the extent that they did, but certainly not unprecedented... all of those things are on Abbey Road by The Beatles, for example, and that was made before any of Pink Floyd's international successes. Pink Floyd were trailblazers in the sense of progressing those ideas, not innovating them.

One of the Floyd's trademark recording techniques was to use backwards echo on Nick Mason's drumkit to make a "whoosh" sound ahead of each drum hit. I can't think of another band that did that before them; perhaps there was, but it's certainly an unusual sound even today. There's also the use of dialogue on Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall... plus the radio-tuning introduction to "Wish You Were Here", that's all pretty odd stuff.

Although they didn't invent the "theme" album (Moody Blues did a lot of that too), they certainly emphasised that. In the mid 1960's it was all about the Top 40 singles. In the 70's many FM stations sprang up doing Album Oriented Rock.