The Phonograph and Records (EOTO #1)

   New technologies have been rapidly developing for centuries and longer. Each new invention or discovery paths a way for the next. One example of this is the creation of the phonograph. The phonograph was invented by Thomas Edison in 1877. However, before him, Leon Scott’s work in France on the phonautograph acted as a foundation for Edison. Scott’s creation allowed for the recording of sound waves, a technology that would only undergo further developments. This creation, mixed with the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell inspired Edison in his work. Originally, Edison planned to expand on Bell’s invention and work on a sort of answering machine. His goal was to find a way to have the machine transcribe phone calls; the originally models have ideas of writing incorporated into the design. However, he soon found that there was a way to record vocals. This opened new doors for the invention. However, Edison wasn’t originally too interested in using his phonograph as a method for music playing. He wanted to use it in office spaces as a dictating machine. Obviously, thing changed. There were many improvements made on the phonograph since the beginning. The original invention used tinfoil coated wax cylinders in its design for the sound and the records it used were made of shellac (resin from female bugs native to India and Thailand). Today we know the phonograph as the first way to listen to music that was not being performed live.

   This concept of music that could be played through a machine was revolutionary. Music could now be played in the comfort of someone’s house without a family member of hired musician performing. This had many effects. It gave people the option of live music or listening to a record. Although it may have cost some performers potential gigs, it was a tool to commercialize the music industry used by many artists to grow their own popularity. Artists could make records of their performances and spread their name to households and beyond. Artists could now express themselves to the public through full records and audience members had the luxury of being able to listen to these entire performances over and over again. Music is a way to communicate feelings, passions, and ideas to others. This invention allowed the people listening to really take a new appreciation for the music and listen to the lyrics and nuances added in by the artist. 

  The phonograph was extremely successful and was on a steady incline in success up until 1928. It still remained very popular up until and was the precursor to the development of other music playing devices such as turntables, cassettes, CDs, iPods, and streaming services (ex. Spotify). Vinyl records have been making a significant comeback since the early 2000s. It is now incredibly common for artists to have vinyl’s available of their new albums and to even offer special edition vinyl records. The technological development of the phonograph had an incredibly significant impact on the industry of music and on the future development of other music technology. Music is used as a form of entertainment, expression, and therapy. It is so important in not only my life but in the lives of people around the globe. It is a form of communication that speaks to the hearts of individuals and because of the original phonograph, technology has progressed to allow people all over the world to share a connection stemming from music.