Sound Recording: The Life Story of a Technology
How did one of the great inventions of the 19th century— Thomas Edison's phonograph— eventually lead to one of the most culturally and economically significant technologies of the 20th and 21st centuries? Sound Recording tells that story, tracing the history of the business boom and the cultural revolution begun by Edison's invention. Ever since, recorded sound has been all around us—not just in reproducing and playing popular music, but also in more mundane areas, such as office dictation machines, radio and television programs, and even telephone answering machines. Just as the styles of music have evolved over the years, the formats on which this music was played have changed as well —from 78s to LPs, from LPs to cassette tapes, from cassettes to CDs—not to mention lesser-known innovations in the motion picture and television industries. The quest for better sound was one of the drivers of technological change, but so too were business strategies, patent battles, and a host of other factors.

Sound Recording contains much information that will interest anyone interested in the history of recorded music and sound technology, such as:
• The world-famous composer John Phillip Sousa once denounced sound recordings as a threat to good musical tasted. He nonetheless made many recordings over the years
• Two innovative new products were introduced by RCA in 1958—the first modern cassette tape cartridge and the stereophonic LP record. The tape cartridge, which was about the size of a large paperback, flopped almost immediately; the stereo LP was the music industry's biggest hit ever
• Chrysler automobiles of the late 1950s offered Highway Hi-Fi, a dashboard phonograph that could play a record without skipping
• The predecessor of the Compact Disc was a 12-inch home videodisc system from the late 1970s—the first of its kind—called DiscoVision

The volume includes a timeline and a bibliography for those interested in delving further into the history of recorded sound.

1118002183
Sound Recording: The Life Story of a Technology
How did one of the great inventions of the 19th century— Thomas Edison's phonograph— eventually lead to one of the most culturally and economically significant technologies of the 20th and 21st centuries? Sound Recording tells that story, tracing the history of the business boom and the cultural revolution begun by Edison's invention. Ever since, recorded sound has been all around us—not just in reproducing and playing popular music, but also in more mundane areas, such as office dictation machines, radio and television programs, and even telephone answering machines. Just as the styles of music have evolved over the years, the formats on which this music was played have changed as well —from 78s to LPs, from LPs to cassette tapes, from cassettes to CDs—not to mention lesser-known innovations in the motion picture and television industries. The quest for better sound was one of the drivers of technological change, but so too were business strategies, patent battles, and a host of other factors.

Sound Recording contains much information that will interest anyone interested in the history of recorded music and sound technology, such as:
• The world-famous composer John Phillip Sousa once denounced sound recordings as a threat to good musical tasted. He nonetheless made many recordings over the years
• Two innovative new products were introduced by RCA in 1958—the first modern cassette tape cartridge and the stereophonic LP record. The tape cartridge, which was about the size of a large paperback, flopped almost immediately; the stereo LP was the music industry's biggest hit ever
• Chrysler automobiles of the late 1950s offered Highway Hi-Fi, a dashboard phonograph that could play a record without skipping
• The predecessor of the Compact Disc was a 12-inch home videodisc system from the late 1970s—the first of its kind—called DiscoVision

The volume includes a timeline and a bibliography for those interested in delving further into the history of recorded sound.

61.0 In Stock
Sound Recording: The Life Story of a Technology

Sound Recording: The Life Story of a Technology

by David Morton
Sound Recording: The Life Story of a Technology

Sound Recording: The Life Story of a Technology

by David Morton

Hardcover

$61.00 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    Qualifies for Free Shipping
  • PICK UP IN STORE
    Check Availability at Nearby Stores

Related collections and offers


Overview

How did one of the great inventions of the 19th century— Thomas Edison's phonograph— eventually lead to one of the most culturally and economically significant technologies of the 20th and 21st centuries? Sound Recording tells that story, tracing the history of the business boom and the cultural revolution begun by Edison's invention. Ever since, recorded sound has been all around us—not just in reproducing and playing popular music, but also in more mundane areas, such as office dictation machines, radio and television programs, and even telephone answering machines. Just as the styles of music have evolved over the years, the formats on which this music was played have changed as well —from 78s to LPs, from LPs to cassette tapes, from cassettes to CDs—not to mention lesser-known innovations in the motion picture and television industries. The quest for better sound was one of the drivers of technological change, but so too were business strategies, patent battles, and a host of other factors.

Sound Recording contains much information that will interest anyone interested in the history of recorded music and sound technology, such as:
• The world-famous composer John Phillip Sousa once denounced sound recordings as a threat to good musical tasted. He nonetheless made many recordings over the years
• Two innovative new products were introduced by RCA in 1958—the first modern cassette tape cartridge and the stereophonic LP record. The tape cartridge, which was about the size of a large paperback, flopped almost immediately; the stereo LP was the music industry's biggest hit ever
• Chrysler automobiles of the late 1950s offered Highway Hi-Fi, a dashboard phonograph that could play a record without skipping
• The predecessor of the Compact Disc was a 12-inch home videodisc system from the late 1970s—the first of its kind—called DiscoVision

The volume includes a timeline and a bibliography for those interested in delving further into the history of recorded sound.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780313330902
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date: 09/30/2004
Series: Greenwood Technographies
Pages: 240
Product dimensions: 6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.56(d)

About the Author

DAVID L. MORTON JR. is a historian of technology with expertise in the history of sound recording, electronics, and electric power. He is the former Research Historian for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the author of two books in the Greenwood Technographies series.

Table of Contents

Birth of Recording
Out of Laboratory
The Commercial Debut of Sound Recording
The Introduction of Discs
Recording in the Business World
The Heyday of the Phonograph
The Talkies
Records and Radio In the U.S.
The Crucial 1930s
Recording and World War II
The Postwar Scene
Home Hi-Fi
Revolution in the Studio
Mobile Sound
Cassette to Compact Disc
Record Companies versus the World
Online Music and the Future of Listening

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews