The Record Industry, 1900
The record industry turned sound into goods, creating stars, royalties and mass listening.
Related
In 1900 the record became a business. Pressed discs, catalogues and celebrity recordings turned listening into household consumption.
Time and place
London and New York, 1900. Berliner's Gramophone Company operated from London; Victor was founded in Camden in 1901, while Columbia and the Gramophone Company expanded. In 1902 Caruso recorded ten arias in Milan, and the record had its first global star.
What happened
Discs displaced wax cylinders because they could be pressed, sleeved, catalogued and wholesaled. Factories turned out thousands of copies, and agents mailed catalogues to small towns. Recording was still acoustic: players faced a horn, the frequency range was narrow, and one side lasted minutes. Victor's Red Seal series made Caruso respectable home entertainment. Sousa, Joplin and Tin Pan Alley filled the catalogues.
What changed
Music could repeat without a performer, and listening became consumption. Labels controlled recording, pressing and distribution, and stardom, royalties and charts followed. Repertoire bent to the three-minute side, and recording preserved performing habits for later researchers.
Listen for the turn
The library holds no original discs, only MIDI realisations. Begin with Caruso's Mattinata, then the Pagliacci aria, then Maple Leaf Rag and a Sousa march. Hear the short phrases and brass through the narrow band of a 78 rpm record.
Related
This turn belongs to Modern and connects Record Label, Royalty and Mechanical License.
Listen in the library
All tracks from midicn-lib — inline badge is the license tier (C1 commercial / C2 non-commercial / C3 study only).
Sources
- The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., entry "Recording" — industry dates checked, not quoted
- Frederick Gaisberg, The Music Goes Round (Macmillan, 1942) — early recording practice checked, not quoted
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.