Phonograph

The phonograph gave birth to the modern recording industry. Without it, there would not be records, cassette tapes, compact discs, or digital MP3s. Invented by Thomas Edison (1837–1931) in 1877, the phonograph proved to be one of the most influential technologies in history. The phonograph revolutionized entertainment and the field of music throughout the twentieth century until cassette tapes began crowding out the medium in the 1970s and then compact disc (see entry under 1980s—Music in volume 5) technology replaced it in the 1990s.

Edison's invention came from his experiments attempting to record and preserve phone conversations. When he discovered that a human voice could cut a signal into tinfoil, the origins of the modern phonograph were born. Edison improved the device using wax cylinders and later adopted a disc format developed by Emile Berliner (1851–1929). Although the phonograph did not take off as a way to record and preserve phone calls, it did find great popularity in the entertainment world, spawning the modern recording industry in the 1910s. Before this time, people could only hear music played live or make their own music, and most people heard only a limited amount and variety of music. The phonograph changed all that. As phonographs became cheaper to buy, more people could afford them. Record companies responded by producing records of all sorts. There were blues (see entry under 1920s—Music in volume 2) and jazz (see entry under 1900s—Music in volume 1) records, country music (see entry under 1940s—Music in volume 3), big band (see entry under 1930s—Music in volume 2) music, ethnic songs, dance music, classical symphonies, speeches, and many more kinds of records. The phonograph was especially popular with people in rural areas and with poor and middle-class people. People in rural areas lived too far away to attend live music concerts, and poor and middle-class people could not afford to hear symphony orchestras very often, if at all.

The phonograph proved to be an instrument of social change as well. In the 1950s, rock and roll (see entry under 1950s—Music in volume 3) was successful largely because teenagers could afford to purchase rock-and-roll 45-rpm singles to play on their phonographs. (Singles were called 45s because the recordings were played at a speed of 45 revolutions of the turntable per minute.) Because they could choose the records, rather than having adults on the radio (see entry under 1920s—TV and Radio in volume 2) choose their music, teenagers helped spur rock and roll on to great success, spawning a whole era of teen rebellion. In the 1960s, that tradition continued as the phonograph provided a means for folk musicians (see Folk Music entry under 1960s—Music in volume 4) to have their protest songs heard. Rock music continued pushing the boundaries of social convention and bringing new insights to young people around the world.

Few mass technologies have had such an important social impact. Eventually, the phonograph was eclipsed by the development of cassette tapes in the 1970s and of compact discs in the 1990s. Both technologies were more durable, portable, and lightweight than phonographs (by now, also called turntables). Despite this, many people still collect vinyl records and restore old phonographs, keeping the technology alive.

—Timothy Berg

For More Information

Eisenberg, Evan. Recording Angel: Music, Records and Culture. London: Picador, 1987.

Koenigsbert, Allan. The Patent History of the Phonograph. Brooklyn, NY: APM Press, 1990.

Millard, Andre. America on Record: A History of Recorded Sound. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995.