America on Record

A History of Recorded Sound

Andre Millard

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2005
• Print ISBN: 9780521835152
• eBook ISBN: 9780511137983
• Edition: 2
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

With Thomas Edison's invention of the phonograph, the beautiful music that was the preserve of the wealthy became a mass-produced consumer good, cheap enough to be available to all. In 1877 Edison dreamed that one day there would be a talking machine in every home. America on Record: A History of Recorded Sound, first published in 2006, provides a history of sound recording from the first thin sheet of tinfoil that was manipulated into retaining sound to the home recordings of rappers in the 1980s and the high-tech studios of the 1990s. This book examines the important technical developments of acoustic, electric, and digital sound reproduction while outlining the cultural impact of recorded music and movies. This second edition updates the story, describing the digital revolution of sound recording with the rise of computers, Napster, DVD, MP3, and iPod.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface to the second edition
• Preface to the first edition
• Introduction
• PART ONE THE ACOUSTIC ERA
• PART TWO THE ELECTRICAL ERA
• PART THREE THE DIGITAL ERA
• Abbreviations used in the notes
• Notes
• Select discography
• Select bibliography
• Subject index
• Recordings index
• Motion picture index