This essay traces the history of technological innovation in music from Edison's phonograph in 1877 through electrical recording, tape, FM radio, and the World Wide Web. Drawing on the premise that "the past plus innovation equals the future," the paper examines how each successive technology altered musical styles, listening habits, and the music industry itself. It concludes by speculating on a near future in which computer-based composition and online networking may transform the very concept of "musician," raising questions about whether technological progress in music necessarily represents a positive development.
Just one glimpse at the history of music technology tells us that Alvin Toffler is correct: the past and innovation certainly equal the future, although whether that future is preferable to the past is arguable. Technological innovations have changed the course of music roughly every quarter century, and in doing so have altered the future — at least as far as music is concerned. One invention was securely placed on the footing of another, until technology had so transformed music that the computer and the piano are worlds apart, as indeed they are.
Three centuries ago, a daughter was still playing piano in her mother's drawing room. Along came Thomas Edison with his phonograph in 1877. The phonograph was intended, according to Edison, for recording contracts and business letters — but the future of music had other plans. It became the first truly "technical" instrument in the history of music technology.
The phonograph changed music in more ways than one. Songwriters shortened their compositions to fit the size of a record. Singers worked on voice projection and enunciation. Just as the rise of the publishing industry had awakened readers to the diversity of books flooding the market, so too with music: listeners became more knowledgeable than ever about the quantity of titles available to them. The phonograph changed styles and converted people — who had not been music lovers before — into enthusiasts. Piano sales fell, and instead of people gathered around a parlor piano, they were now craned over the horn of their Victrolas.
In the mid-1920s, electrical recording — which produced significantly clearer sound — paved the way for Bing Crosby and others to introduce a new sound called pop. After World War II, further innovations led to changes so dramatic that Elektra Records founder Jack Holzman called them the "Big Bang." The impetus was tape recording, the long-playing high-fidelity record, and FM radio. The results were sonic experimentation and an unprecedented wave of new and different musical styles — not all of them pleasant or comforting to the traditional listener.
"Internet enables cheap production and free distribution"
"Computer composition may redefine what a musician is"
You’re 51% through this paper. Sign up to read the remaining 2 sections.
Sign Up Now — Instant Access Already a member? Log inAlways verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.