62 thoughts on “Sept. 3”

  1. Ruben Saenz

    This was a fantastic article that really opened my eyes on the history of the record industry which I honestly don’t have very much knowledge on. Some of the most interesting facts I found out about the article was finding out that a scientist in 1884 pretty much created the first step in making a compact disk or a “CD” is what we know it by. Another interesting fact I wasn’t aware of during my reading was that Thomas Edison played a BIG part in creating sound, he did this by inventing the Cylinder Phonograph back in 1877 using materials I didn’t even know would work in creating this device. The last fact I would like to discuss is the the beginning of commercial radio back in the 1920’s which at that time was very fuzzy and overall not very good. As commercial radio improved over time, record companies took noticed of this and were PISSED off about the business of individuals getting music into their homes for FREE. Funny how fast forward to today’s day and age almost all music streaming services have a “free” trail that lets you enjoy your music but, you get ads interrupting your song or having to watch multiple commercials before the next song starts which prompts you to buy the “ultimate premium super edition” of that service to get ad and commercial free music.

    Here is an interesting article that goes a little more in-depth about the history of the Thomas Edison Cylinder Phonograph.
    https://www.antique-hq.com/the-history-of-the-edison-cylinder-phonograph-230/

  2. Micah Mann

    I really enjoyed reading this article, i’ts interesting to learn about how sound from devices has progressed over the years. One thing I found very interesting, is Thomas Edison stopped working on phonographs to work on the light bulb. He’s responsible for two major innovations in America, sound and light. I found this article about all of Edison’s inventions, https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/famous-inventors/what-did-thomas-edison-invent.htm

  3. Savannah Simon

    Technology is constantly evolving and music technology is no exception. The way that music has been recorded and distributed has changed drastically, not only in the past few years but would be almost unrecognizable to us if we saw how it was done in the beginning. This article talks about some of the earliest sound recording devices and how music was distributed to the public way before streaming services or iPhones. Inventors such as Thomas Edison and Emile Berliner are just some to thank for contributing to the evolution of the industry.
    In the section The Sound Recording Industry gets its Wings, I found it fascinating that Edison was too stubborn to produce anything but cylinders thinking they would eventually be the only popular format when even in the early 1900s there was a pattern of constant innovation in technology. This did, of course, lead to him to miss the big boom of sales of records and record players. This is just one example of how if you refuse to innovate, you’ll be left behind which I believe is still extremely relevant today.

    Here’s an article on the evolution of the record player.

  5. Shawn Horne

    This was an interesting article. I found most interesting the fact of how modern forms of sound recording were actually invented during this time period. The article also shows us how even though we are separated by 100 years, the music industry still falls into patterns i.e. history repeating itself. Overall great article on the early origins of the recording industry and music business.

  6. Lynn Nguyen

    Every day in our economy, technology is growing rapidly every day with new inventions. In the article, the expression I got was fascination. I don’t have much knowledge on the history of the record industry so I found this article interesting. What was interesting was that it basically all started with the music box. Who would’ve thought a simple music box would change the outlook of many generations and new inventions which makes our record industry today.

    Here’s an article where you can find more information about the make of the music box.
    http://www.themusicboxman.com/history-music-box/

  7. Kalyn Randolph

    Over time the music industry has flourished because technology has advanced. Records and phonographs, for a long time was a way for people to access music and use it. As time went on, things go out of style and out of date, so new things must spark up. Commercial radio for people was a new way for people to access all the music and things being said socially. As people evolved so did radio. For a lot of people and companies when new things are invented or created there is a lot of competition and backlash on the product. People weren’t for the new change for a while, but if people are growing and expanding their ways of entertainment and they are evolving then why can’t technology too.

    Here’s a link about how technology has changed overtime in music and how it is constantly changing.
    https://highonscore.com/evolution-of-music-technology/

  8. Haley Weber

    A concept that intrigued me from this reading was the concept of Automatic Phonograph Parlours. Today, our “listening stations” consist of different streaming services like Apple Music, Spotify, Soundcloud, Tidal, and Pandora. Like the free listening options in these parlours, Pandora and Soundcloud offer a free way to listen to their content, however you’re forced to listen to an add every few minutes or so. Music wasn’t the only option for you to listen to, there were comedy routines and other forms of audio. I find this concept so interesting because people would take time out of their day to go to a public place and wait at these stations, put tubes in their ears and pay for each listening. The Edison “H” was Edison’s first spring-motor-coin-operated phonograph. According to edisiontinfoil.com, the production period only lasted from 1898 to 1900. It was not very popular due to it’s high price ($50) many flaws, and heavy weight.

  9. Tyra Brown

    The History of the Record Industry was a very interesting read. I learned a lot about the way we as Americans have evolved in our use of technology. For starters, there have been a few important people that have made this possible like, Friar Roger Bacon of the “mechanical age” says the authors at a voice, Thomas Edison, and many more. One interesting fact that I didn’t know was the meaning of phonograph is “sound writing” says the authors of A Voice. How was the Victrola portable player from the 1920s made piece by piece?
    Heres a link to a video I came across about how muisc was made before technology.https://youtu.be/fTPsCkDY5KE

  10. Tori Contreras

    Music over time has been evolving into many new inventions, as stated in this article, and reading this has opened my eyes immensely to realizing all of the history behind it which amazed me. Not having much knowledge of the history behind all of these inventions, really filled me in. Just starting with something as small as a music box and as time went on, improved the record industry’s history.

    I found a timeline on How music has changed over the years
    https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/how-music-has-changed-over-the-last-100-years
    I also found an article about how music has changed over the years
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/27101804

  11. Morgan Slovacek

    This article is a really interesting read, mostly because I didn’t realize how much science played a role in creating music. As a generation that grew up with technology, it’s easy to forget the building blocks that make up something such as music since it’s always been just at our fingertips. I think the article did a great representation of how advancements in technology are inevitable and if opposed, it can leave a negative impact. Just like Thomas Edison only making cylinders, trying to fight the inevitable. With the evolution of technology brings forth the evolution of music, however, history repeats itself. This article makes me think of how many stores are now selling record players and vinyls because the sound is more pure and less “interrupted”.

  12. Kemi Babalola

    I think this article puts into perspective of how much change has occurred in such little time, and how the music industry isn’t stable. Taking a look back on the history of the recording industry, can make one very curious on the future of sound recording and record playing. With streaming platforms and apps that can arguably produce studio sound, what is next for the music industry? And how can people that operate in the industry have control on where technology takes their careers. We’ve seen the rise and fall of new technology in the industry, what new concept or product do you believe will happen?
    I found this article that summarizes and simplifies the story and timeline of the industry. I believe it does a great job of visually telling the story. It will be interesting to add on to the timeline with new innovations and technologies.
    https://producelikeapro.com/blog/audio-recording-through-the-ages-this-history-of-audio-recording/

  13. Darius McClain

    Reading this article has significantly enlightened me on how sound reproduction and music consumption have developed from its inception. Learning the actual science of how sound was first captured using a horn to funnel the sound on to a vibrating diaphragm stored in grooves. Also becoming aware of technology cycles where it goes from innovation(new tech)->improving new tech-> mass production/adoption, and the cycle repeats after that.

  14. Bao Luong

    This article is so fascinating to me, it’s talks about how thing changes and improves over time. Ideas are being born through different person and it’s improve to a better idea by being a foundation for other new ideas to be born or develop. Thomas Edison inventions was the “quadruplex,” (light bulb), electrographic recorder, automatic telegraph, phonograph, carbon telephone, etc… then comes Alexander Graham Bell with the invention of telephone. This have a huge effect on our world today. Here are the link to how Edison and Graham have effects our world today:
    This is the article written by Eva Varga on how Bell inventions of the telephone effecting our world today: https://evavarga.net/more-than-telephone-impact-alexander-graham-bell/
    Also this is another article on how Edison invention was the revolution of the world: https://americanhistory.si.edu/lighting/19thcent/invent19.htm

  15. Sydnie Gudson

    The History of the Record Industry proved to be an interesting read, as it provided great detail of the technological advancements of recording devices. The article did a fantastic job of putting into perspective just how quickly the record industry altered and improved while also showing the historical context. One thing I found particularly interesting was the interaction between many of the companies and inventors at the time, especially when the article mentioned the stubbornness of Edison and how cylinders could have been potentially successful if he had let other companies also produce cylinders. Although the detail seems small, facts like these illustrate how malleable the industry was at the time, and how single decisions completely changed the dynamic of the industry. It is hard not to wonder how different the recording industry would look if Edison had changed his ways.

    I decided to read up more on the Cylinder Phonograph, here is a link
    https://www.loc.gov/collections/edison-company-motion-pictures-and-sound-recordings/articles-and-essays/history-of-edison-sound-recordings/history-of-the-cylinder-phonograph/

  16. Lucas Balboa

    As we all know the music industry is always changing and evolving with the next best thing, but it was nice to read about where it came from and how it all got started. Something that peaked my interest was how Emile Berliner the only one to mass produce records? Where did he get this technology from and why didn’t other companies find it first? Was it because he was coming from Germany and brought all of tools with him or just beat everyone else to it? I understand that every man for himself but I would like to know a little bit more about how Emile Berliner was able to sell up to 25,000 records in 1893 while his competitors were struggling with making cylinders.

    Heres an article I found that goes more into his business

  17. Kendall

    I found this article to be fascinating in the fact that it not only described the development of sound and music technology, but also named several inventors and their creations. I appreciated how the article frequently mentioned Thomas Edison’s invention of the phonograph since it was a huge revelation in recording and playing sound. Edison’s phonograph also initiated the creation of many sound devices that contributed to creating the music industry. You can find more information about the phonograph here: https://www.historyhit.com/1877-thomas-edison-invents-phonograph/

  18. Lauren Miles

    This article was very interesting — I had no idea that Thomas Edison was so involved with the music industry, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn more about how his work impacted the industry. One other point in the article that I wasn’t aware of was the threat that radio had on record sales in the 1920s. The fact that companies were so threatened by the new technology, that they filed lawsuits is unbelievable. Even though the article only covers up to the 1920s, it is still interesting to compare how the act of listening to music has changed. It went from only being played on records, to the radio, cassettes, CDs, and now online streaming. I am eager to see how music consumption will change in the next few years or so. I do appreciate that even though online streaming is extremely popular, other ways to listen are still popular and easily accessible. (records, CDs, radio, etc)

    I found an article that provided more information regarding Thomas Edisons’ contribution to the music industry: https://www.ge.com/reports/before-the-grammys-how-thomas-edison-started-the-music-industry/

  19. Savannah Garcia

    We hear people (mainly scientists) talk about the theory of evolution, but we often never recognize the evolution of MUSIC and its influence on people for generations. This article articulates just how far music and the tools we use to hear it have come. We started with things like music boxes, unaware of the potential they carried, and moved on to bigger and better things like phonographs, record players, radios, and eventually modern “speaking tubes” that are now called cell phones.

    Another thing from this article that stood out to me was the creation of novelty records made from chocolate that you can actually eat AND listen to! As a chocolate lover, this excited me, but from an educational perspective, it helped me realize the potential of our ideas and how music is born from creativity and individuality that will eventually outlive us.

    Here is an article and short video I found about how a Croatian pop star had a single made of chocolate and why he did it.
    https://www.factmag.com/2013/12/09/croatian-rocker-gibonni-releases-edible-chocolate-single/

    Below is another super interesting article about how the music box came to be and the variety of styles that were available.
    https://www.rauantiques.com/blog/the-evolution-of-the-marvelous-music-box/

  20. Devin A. Saucedo-Rivera

    This article was astonishing to me as it went into depth of the evolution of the sound recording industry. Being an individual that is constantly listening to my music library through bluetooth-enabled headphones, the section of this article that stood out to me was the discussion of the music boxes as the difference in technology is vastly different. When I think of music boxes I think of children’s toys that play a child-appropriate song as a handle is being turned, but I was not aware that these music boxes were the spark that ignited the constant change and growth of music recording. Curious as to the specifics as to how these music boxes work I found this video describing how a music box works.

  22. Adam Garza

    An interesting point made in this article is the enduring phenomenon of advertisements accompanying subscription-style listening. Like the free selections in phonograph parlours, we still have to listen to advertisements before, and now during, tracks on media platforms. This persistence of ads and the bold injection of them into the middle of videos begs a question: what shift in mentality has happened so that consumers cannot listen to a complete song or video uninterrupted? This interruption is something that I am averse to and has driven me to consume music and video elsewhere other than YouTube due to the increased ad time and drive for monetization of videos by such a large portion of users.

    Linked is an article that also had relevancy to a psychology project I wrote last semester. It discusses user behavior concerning user-generated and company-generated content on YouTube, which I find applicable here.
    https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A557054413/HRCA?u=txshracd2904&sid=HRCA&xid=53e43285

  23. Benjamin S. Martinez

    The thought of how far music has been transformed over the centuries amazing me and the methods of how one can listen to their favorite track does as well. The main part of the article that stuck out to me was the effect the radio had on the music industry as a whole. It seemed as once it got introduced to the public that their was no going back to the methods before. It also seemed the radio came out at a perfect time, not saying the events that followed it release were good, when the great depression hit the nation it was much more efficient to buy just a music player for one cash amount with the music for free, instead of buying a music player and every song for it.
    Here is the link to an article that shows the brief history of radio past, present, and future
    https://www.techwholesale.com/history-of-the-radio.html

  24. Thomas Buley

    This article was very informative and really gives an insight to what drives any industry and how the music industry is not very different. I found it notable how much value was placed on music during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Not only did many people know how to play music, as depicted when the article references John Philip Sousa’s compositions selling “massive amounts of sheet music”, but they also valued the ability to listen to music. The article claims that the phonograph business began to see success once the phonograph could be purchased at $40 dollars in 1895. This is the equivalent of about $1,200.00 in 2018, and on top of that, the listener would still need to purchase the records. Some may argue that music is not important, but when you take a look to the past an even look at the present, it is easy to see how important music is to so many people.

    Here is an article discussing the importance of music further:
    https://www.gilbertgalindo.com/importanceofmusic

  25. Gregory Fuentes

    This was a great article and I really enjoyed being walked through the evolution of sound recording. The most fascinating part to me is the impact that the portable phonograph had during times of war, specifically the first world war. Troops in training or on the front lines relied on music to pass the time and have the opportunity to cope with stress through their favorite music. I think every college student or music lover can relate to that in some way.

    Below I have attached a link to Scientific America about the phonograph going to war.
    https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/anecdotes-from-the-archive/the-phonograph-goes-to-war-1915/

  26. Emily Krupa

    Reading this article really put things in perspective for me, learning about how far the record industry has come. Starting from a music box and ending up with orthophonic sound then to radio networks shows how fast technology advanced and how fast the record industry grew. The part I found most intriguing was that Thomas Edison was one of the original major labels for this industry. He started in 1874 with his invention, the quadruplex telegraph and in 1929, the Edison company quit the record business altogether. Here is a link to an article discussing Edison’s first recording in 1927

  27. Coleman Strauss

    This article really allows us to understand how far we have come in the technology of music. It is crazy to think that less than 200 years ago the technology was so much more primitive. The ability to transmit sound frequencies and record them for later consumption has changed and progressed our world in so many ways. If anything brings people together, it is music. All people connecting over the exact same frequencies.
    https://www.zzounds.com/edu–recordinghistory
    This timeline is interesting to take a look at after reading this article.

  28. Emilio Acevedo

    This article was very informative on the history of the music industry. I never knew sound was captured onto a cylinder before any flat records such as vynil. I always thought that flat records were the first devices to have recording capabilities, with that I found it facinating that Berliner managed to sell 25, 000 records even with a recession happening during that time.

    Here’s an article with a brief timeline on audio recording:

    http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/audio.history.timeline.html

  29. Patricia King

    I enjoyed this enlightening article, gaining a new perspective of simultaneous growth across the industry’s history. While I had a vague idea of their histories separate, this article covered multiple fields of sound technology as each contributed in a way I had not read previously. As the world of music technology propels forward it is important to learn from the past in sound recording evolution to develop a diversified portfolio of platforms within the industry. The cylinder v. flat disk competition made me think of a contemporary match up that can determine certain cultural markers in our society: iPhone v. Android. Here is an article further explaining http://content.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,2023452,00.html

  30. Shawn Garcia

    What this article continues to exemplify is that sound itself took years to prosper into peoples lives with creations like music boxes and phonautographs which would lay the foundation of what records are today. Thomas Edison is one of the key historical figures who would work on sound reproduction to end up being the first one to produce the first sound recording in history. Another thing which I found bizarre was how instead of a flat disk being the first attraction of using music, it was a cylinder which apparently had better sound quality than flat disks back then but harder to store. It is truly amazing as to how records would become huge in the business industry in the first decade of the twentieth century and continue to prosper and grow and influence people like the troops on the front lines through World War I.

    Here is an article that shows perspective to how the creation of records and music would greatly influence people like the troops during World War I.
    https://filsonhistorical.org/music-in-wartime-song-composition-during-the-first-world-war/

    Here is another link regarding the pros and cons of flat disks or in this article’s case, vinyl records.
    https://www.yoursoundmatters.com/pros-cons-vinyl-records/

  31. Jazmin Serna

    This article was incredibly eye-opening to all of the phases that the music industry has gone through to get to where it is today. It was really interesting how different companies monetized the different inventions involving music, and how these inventions made their way into households. It’s insane to think the radio was a threat to inventions like the phonograph and record players back then, when there are a ton of streaming services and platforms that are now a threat to radio. And there are so many more ways that music and recording are being monetized today that were unimaginable back then.

    Here is an article that talks about a streaming service that is beating out radio and why
    https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2016/06/16/spotify-free-bigger-radio-stations/

  32. Kayla Burford

    I found this article very interesting in how the record industry has drastically evolved along side of the evolution of technology in the past decades. It makes me very excited for the future of the record industry and what is yet to be accomplished by knowing the history of how sound has been captured. Music is such a huge part of our lives and I think it is very fascinating to see how the advancement in music can also show how people have advanced through each generation. What I especially liked about the article was being able to see the history of inventions and how they each contributed to the products that we have now. This article also makes me wonder where we would be if one or more of these inventions was never created or what inventions in the future will largely benefit the record industry. I decided to read more on Thomas Edisons invention of the phonograph because I feel like it had one of the greatest impacts on evolving the record industry.

    https://www.thoughtco.com/invention-of-the-phonograph-4156528

  33. Latifah Agunbiade

    It’s fascinating to see the origins of the sound recording industry and the impact it has had in our world. This article goes into depth about how the music and technology era moved in sync, gradually taking trial and error to get to where it is today. One fact that I happened to take interest in the article stated, in summary, Scientist Leon Scott de Martinville constructed the Phonautograph which graphed out sound related to the way a seismograph records earthquake vibrations. The second fact I felt triggered by was (which I paraphrased) that harmonic telegraphs were made which sent out several morse codes signals that translated to a particular note in the musical scale across a wire which translated to tuning forks releasing sound at the receiving end. I believe that these facts emphasized how sound and music is so underrated and unappreciated in how its linked to the most important parts of modernization across all spectrums.

    Here is a link to that goes into depth about how music is closely linked to all fields in the world of modernization.

  35. Dominique Salinas

    Recording in the music industry has evolved over time, and there is no exception that science has played a huge role in it’s starting point. I never would’ve imagined Edison and The different phonographs were quite interesting, but can you imagine how long it would take to record? Being that there’s a long process one must go through in order to record on a phonograph, there’s no doubt that it would take hours at a time, and with the current ways to record, the sound has definitely evolved over time. I found a video on youtube of a man who bought a vintage 1878 tin foil phonograph, where he literally records on aluminum foil:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5O-t4ftsvE

    In addition, I found an article that explores more brands and types of phonographs, how they were distributed, and what caused them to fall in the mid 1920s:
    https://www.antiquephono.org/brand-talking-machines-r-j-wakeman/

  36. Nicolas Needham

    This article was very interesting, as it provided a lot of insight relating to the history of the record industry. It explains in great detail the advancements of recording technologies throughout history. It even makes me consider: the notable popularity of radio in the 1920s is similar to the success of today’s streaming platforms such as Apple Music or Spotify. People in the 1920s considered radio to be less of a hassle when compared to phonographs; there was even much talk about the record industry becoming overall obsolete when people discovered the convenience of a radio in their home. A large amount of digital media that is consumed in 2019 is provided through streaming services, because society (mostly) has decided that a monthly subscription to a service is way more convenient than buying and maintaining dozens of CDs. Also, a streaming account gives the user access to millions of songs and podcasts, instead of a select few. Reading this article really made me consider the similarities between two time periods (the early 1900s and today), since we are living in the midst of huge technological and cultural advancements due to the internet.

    Below is a link to an article Rolling Stone released in 2018, which provides some interesting info on how unpopular CDs are becoming now that streaming services are a more established method of listening to music and since vinyl is making such a huge comeback.

    https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-end-of-owning-music-how-cds-and-downloads-died-628660/

  37. Christopher Guia

    I’m going to be honest when I first started reading this article I thought it was going to be really boring but as I kept reading it started gaining my attention. I perticularly found it interesting how technologoy kept developing during that time going from a music box to commercial radio and how discoveries that would seem minor during our time period were monumental during theirs. It’s crazy to think about how different things would be without the little inventions people created that aided to paint a bigger picture and makes me wonder how much this technology can keep developing.

    Heres a timeline I found https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/history/timeline/
    https://www.vibe.com/photos/10-ways-music-industry-changes-10-years

  38. Aaron Villarreal

    Edison, Martinville, Bell; these are all names I’m familiar with as I’ve had the pleasure to learn about these significant people, and their roles in the beginning years of the recording industry, in my Introduction to Mass Communication class. As someone who wishes to eventually work in the music industry, not to mention has a killer collection of his own records, it’s enlightening to learn how the record was invented, and what other kinds of technology was involved at the time. It’s hard to believe how the way we enjoy music began from a phonograph to us now being able to stream almost any song we want on our smart phones. Even though streaming is a much more convenient way to listen to music, I believe that the classic vinyl record is a crucial invention that will always withstand the test of time. To support my argument, I have attached an article on how vinyl is still important in today’s musical climate.

    https://www.theransomnote.com/musings/view-side/view-from-the-side-streaming-into-a-vinyl-future/

  39. Noah Shepherd-Hayes

    This article interested me greatly, as record collector, it baffled me to find out flat, circular vinyl were not the original form of media consumption. Instead, it was cylinders that were harder to store, yet had even better sound quality than vinyl did. The creation of these cylinders also was interesting, although it would have been nice to go more in depth for the manufacturing process of vinyl. Vinyl is also apparently not very good for the enviornment or for your health, so it would be interesting to go in depth into the flaws of the cylinders. Here is a video about vinyl’s issues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZ2czFuIYmQ

  40. Michelle Aguilar

    As technology seems to be evolving faster faster and faster these days, it was nice to have a reminder about where recorded music originated from. It’s great to take a look back and realize how accessible music is now compared to the late 1800s- early 1900s. As the article mentioned, back then, people would only be able to have records of popular/novel music, as to now where I’m able to have access to music from artists that aren’t as well known to the public.
    Also, as a person who aspires to work in the film industry, I thought it was fascinating to learn that film helped establish the record industry during its early years of development. I had no idea that film helped inventors develop a way to be able to record music on a type of media.

  41. Estefania Bermudez

    This article was very eye opening to the history of record history. But even how Thomas Edison had such a big component in the history. What was most interesting is that finding out the foundation of Victrola and understanding where it all began. Even today, there has been a bit of a demand for record players and Victrola is still a big company regarding those sales.

  42. Claudia Lozano

    I could not imagine myself having to wait in line to pay and listen to just one song at an “Automatic Phonograph Parlour.” The accessibility for music was usually an inconvenience for people, whereas today we can quickly access any kind of entertainment through multiple streaming services and websites. It was also interesting to read about the advertisements people would have to listen to if they wanted to hear a song for free. It’s very much similar to what people do now with streaming services. The commercial industry today still emulates the business tactics of what they did then. I also found it kind of funny having to picture artists having to record extra loud because of the cylinder wearing out after so many plays. I can just imagine how loud the track is when it’s first being played and how sad it would be once a track begins to fade away after too many plays.

    Here is a link to a website that has more information on inventions that led up to Edison’s Phonograph: http://soundbeat.org/2013/01/28/phonograph-history-2/

  43. Sarah Foy

    Despite vinyls and record players becoming much more popular recently, I have never given much thought to how records or recorded music in general began. It was really interesting to read that many of the people we grew up learning about for their other inventions, like Thomas Edison or Alexander Graham Bell, actually played a significant role in creating sound reproduction and paving the way for recorded music. I was also surprised to see how many issues that were present in the very beginning of recorded music still exist today. For example, in terms of the distribution of music, someone was always creating a newer, more convenient way for consumers to access music, which just created more competition between the companies within the industry. This is still visible today within the evolution of streaming services and how most people have moved on from radio streaming services like Pandora to Apple Music or Spotify where they can have more control over what they’re listening to.

    I have attached a link to a video that shows the history of recorded music, which helps to give a visual of some of the products that were discussed in the article:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng9w88mJDSQ

  44. Austin Donnelly

    The most interesting part of this article to me was the part that talked about how an article in a magazine claimed that Edison’s phonograph was not that great and Christopher Bell’s new way of making the records was a lot better. The grooves on Edison’s went up and down and could mess up the record with even a small amount of pressure. Bell’s records have grooves that go side to side, which makes them easier to mass produce. I found this video of an old Edison phonograph: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyjHsstQOyo

  45. Mariah Martinez

    What an interesting article! I enjoyed understanding the development of music production and how it has evolved throughout the world. I do agree that music boxes in the 1800s inspired inventors to create memorable and scientifically ground-breaking creations that not only changed how we listened to music, but how it allowed us to feel and understand what we were hearing.

    I decided to look into the phonographs and the different structures that separated them from the “norm” and found a tooth phonograph DIY that can be made at home! It was very amusing and fun. The website to the “Tooth Phonograph” will be attached here. https://www.instructables.com/id/Tooth-Phonograph/

  46. Victoria Gonzalez

    The music industry, in my opinion, is one of the largest and most complex industry. Before reading this article and further expanding my knowledge about the industry, I never realized how large it truly is. One of the biggest takeaways for me is that the music industry is clearly evolving in this very point in time and has always been evolving. We started off with player pianos and now we are in the Spotify era where streaming is a huge monster! It is so fascinating how the industry is evolving. Here is an article on how the radio platform is being marketed towards people with media platforms and not so much towards people in the car.

    Link : https://www.rbr.com/how-is-radios-traditional-listening-location-evolving/

  47. Orlando Rodriguez

    This article really opened my eyes and gave me a fresh perspective on how audio has been processed since the phonograph. I never even knew that the way sound first started getting transported was by the same technology used to send telegraphs, just amplified. Its no wonder Edison regrets not making the first telephone since he was just only steps away from it. What also interested me is how the way audio was being heard would branch off to music being made and records being produced. its no wonder that people like Alexander Graham Bell improved the way we heard recordings.
    I found another article talking more about how the phonographs shaped the way we listen to music today:
    https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/phonograph-changed-music-forever-180957677/

  48. Anna Madewell

    I believe this article illustrates a fascinating topic when it comes to the convenience of music. The focus of our culture in the late 1800’s and even up until today has always been on developing easier and faster ways to get what we want. There has always been a need for mass consumption. The transition from phonographs to record players and then eventually to radio stations all took place within the span of forty years. There is more appreciation for music when it cannot be as easily accessed at the touch of your fingers. The question that I pose to the audience is whether or not this easy accessibility depreciates the value of music and culture itself.
    This article attached goes further into detail.
    https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-xpm-2014-03-28-ct-mobile-phones-music-20140328-story.html

  49. Carlos Garza

    Technology is constantly evolving over the course of time, and it is truly fascinating to think of how living must have been like in the past without the luxuries that our generation is so fortunate to use. Today, new and innovative inventions are constantly being released, such as smart phones, bluetooth headphones, and other similar remarkable products, which have left us over saturated to the point that it is hard to be surprised by any new product. This lack of amazement however was not always present in the masses of consumerism. As shown in the article, the music industry has evolved drastically over almost a century and a half not only through its content with the evolution of new music styles such as Jazz, rock, pop, and more, but through the mediums we use to enjoy this ever changing industry of entertainment. The introduction of the Phonogram completely amazed not only the American public but the entire world, and as explained in the article seeing this new product completely blew people away as they could not fathom being able to hear recordings of sounds through machine. This continued with the inventions of the radio, to vinyls, to cassettes, and CD’s, and so on until finally we are able to listen to any song our heart desires. This incredible article really opened my eyes to the awe of music and its colorful and rich history.
    The link below is another article I researched on the history of the Vinyl record.
    http://americanhistorynow.org/2014/01/27/the-history-of-vinyl/

  50. Rolando Handy

    This article was very interesting, I did not know that recording sound went as far back as the 1890s, and I had no idea that you could have a “hit” song in 1899. I also definitely did not know that Thomas Edison played a major role in sound recording, even before he invented the light bulb, the latter which he is much more famous for. It is fascinating to think that one century later we would have evolved from this groundbreaking sound recording technology of the early 1900’s all the way to streaming platforms such as spotify, apple music, and pandora. Technology in this industry has advanced so much over the years, if only had Edison knew what his invention would turn out to be.
    Here is an article I found having to do with Thomas Edison recording the first sound waves in the form of a human voice.
    https://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Hear-the-earliest-known-recording-of-voice-music-3981255.php

  51. Jimmy Duran

    Just like today, business is constantly fierce and competitive. It is of no surprise that there are several companies that compete or ruin other competitors by the growth of technology and the innovation of creative minds. Of course we are all aware with how streaming media, such as Netflix, put blockbuster out of business. This is the same in the 1920’s with the commercial radio against phonographs. How one decides to make or break, led to the combination of both phonograph with the radio together as one unit to be sold. These sorts of inventions surely are taken for granted and are not properly appreciated among us younger generation; to which I am left in wow for. We definitely have a handful amount of people to thank for what we have today and with such a diverse variety. Although it did not happen in one day, when the radio is on in our car as we commute to work, we are able to hear commercials through them instead of just music. Advertising changed the way radio could be used in the essence of benefiting many parties and businesses later in the 1920’s. The next time I get in my car without connecting my phone, I’ll be reminded through the songs and advertisements of “radio fever”.

    http://www.ushistory.org/us/46g.asp

  52. Charles Campbell

    We forgot how lucky we are to be able to pull out our phone and have access to 30 million songs on Spotify. Up until recent history the only time people heard music was live in concert. I find it interesting how simple these devices seem to us, but it took thousands of years of music before we ever got a reliable way to listen to music outside of a concert venue. Even just a small needle vibrating on a wax cylinder was mind blowing to people just 120 years ago.

    Here is a set of videos by Chicago Musician Rob Scallon where he records some of his music on old wax cylinders

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n2b0NdL6_E
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR4BuM6dP44

  53. Zach Beesley

    It is interesting to read how the evolution of recordings took place over the years. Another thing I found interesting was how there were more than one person trying to record music and how the phonautograph by de Martinville and the phonograph by Edison revolutionized the start of recorded music. Not only did they start the inventions for the music but the recording of music as well, like with Berliner Gramophone who perfected the records. This is was started the music industry and how it has evolved into what it is today with the technology and capabilities of analog and digital technology. Very interesting read.

    This is a timeline of the evolution of the different music players and who created them and when. It was very interesting to see how they developed over the years.

    https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/the-evolution-of-music-players

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