The Evolution of Music Machinery in the 19th Century
Since the beginning music has been an instrument for unity and enjoyment for people in the world. The first known song dates back to 1400 BC, and has evolved substantially since then. From old musical hymns to current rap and electronic dance music, one thing is common, groups of people are able to connect with tunes and bond over a fondness for a sound. To be able to enjoy this music, however, you must be able to play it allowed in some fashion. The evolution of music recorders from 1880-1960 was influenced by the constant desire of easy access of music at one's hand. The transfer of music playing into a handheld device started with a simple well-known invention, the phonograph.
In 1887 people had grown weary of having to buy sheet music to play a song on their own instruments. The overwhelming amount of time and effort spent into one song was cause for a better option, and Thomas Edison and Emily Berliner followed through with a strong solution, the phonograph. When this new instrument came out, the world of musical production at the tip of your finger created mass hysteria. All people wanted this amazing new tool, but their content with a recording instrument did not withhold long. Soon after, the people wanted a better sounding home instrument, and soon the gramophone came out as the Victrola. This was able to take a disk and transport music onto it. Now, music was straight on the tips of your fingers in a circular shape. On a propaganda photo for this instrument (found on http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist/gracyk.html ), in 1900 a Victrola is shown to be sold for one hundred and fifty dollars (an equivalent to one thousand seven hundred and seventy seven dollars in current cost). The human desire to have a music player in their home caused high prices, and high demand for consumers. Close to the 1920’s, partying and music became a very large factor, and what better way to party than having a music player in the very living room of your own house. They were sold in certain stores across the nation, and in this specific one, was shipped across the state for an extra ten dollars. Although unseen to anyone before, this only lasted a small amount of time before, once again, humans became hungry for an easier way to play music, a portable one.
Music, for me, is one of the most important things in the world. It allows me to express myself, adjust my mood, and bond with friends. Life without having music at the tip of my fingers would be nearly unimaginable. The first time music was able to be portable was in 1905, with the 78 RPM standard. Although large and difficult to manage, people were now able to carry around their music (and disks) to wherever they were going. Another ripple off of the needs and comfort of the consumers, now music was portable. But this growth did not stop there, the constant growth of this field of inventions rippled off of each other to create more supplies and ideas for new inventions based on bettering the idea before. In 1954 the transistor radio was invented, and now there was a portable radio with music from stations for the first time ever, beside you wherever you went. The people wanted easier and more accessible inventions, and caused the invention of a new idea. If humans had been completely set on keeping the phonograph and that only, there would not have likely been a reason for these other new inventions to have been created. After the radio, people wanted music to be played at high volumes, which led to the invention of the portable stereo, then individuals wanted to play the music they wanted at any given time which led to the audio cassette, and the list goes on and on. A human's desire of easily accessible and comfortable inventions was the reason this industry was able to grow so substantially.
I have never experienced a life without music, and I could not imagine one either. I am now able to play every song I want at any time I want due to the past human necessities and desires. The evolution of these musical players will never stop growing, because humans will never be satisfied with the quality and accessibility of the music itself. However, this is a good thing, because it means there is a constant challenge for new inventions to solve the problems and desires of people like me.
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