Music Then And Now

Check out some of the milestones in how music lovers have stored and listened to their favorite songs. 

Music lovers have stored and listened to their favorite songs in different ways. Check out some of the milestones.

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph—the first machine that could record and play back sound. Incoming sound waves vibrate a needle, causing it to create indentations on a wax cylinder. To play back the sound, the needle moves along the scratches as a person cranks a handle. A horn amplifies the vibrations produced.  

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph. It was the first machine that could record and play back sound. During recording, sound waves make a needle vibrate. This causes the needle to form scratches on a was cylinder To play back the sound, a person cranks the handle. The needle moves along the scratches and produces vibrations. A horn makes the sound louder.

A device called a gramophone plays circular, flat records. As a gramophone record spins on a hand-cranked turntable, a needle bumps along grooves in the record. 

A machine called a gramophone plays flat, round records. A person cranks the turntable, and the gramophone record spins. A needle bumps along grooves in the record.

A device called a reel-to-reel records audio using an electromagnet. An electric current produces its magnetic field. The electromagnet moves across a long, thin strip of tape coated in magnetic powder, magnetizing it at different points to make a recording. For the first time, recordings could be easily edited by cutting and splicing different segments of tape together.  

A device called a reel-to-reel records sound using an electromagnet. An electric current produces its magnetic field. The electromagnet moves across a long, thin strip of tape. The tape is coated in magnetic powder. This process magnetizes the tape at different points to make a recording. For the first time, recordings could be easily edited. People just had to cut and splice together different parts of the tape.

Before World War II, records were made of shellac—a substance produced by some insects. After the war, the lighter and more durable vinyl, a type of plastic, came on the scene. The 30-centimeter (12-inch) LP, or long-playing version, was first released in 1948. It came to dominate the market. LPs can hold about 20 minutes of music on each side. Music stored on vinyl is known for its full, rich sound. “Some music snobs and sound lovers still think vinyl was the best storage medium ever,” says Sinnreich. 

Before World War II, records were made of shellac, a material produced by some insects. Then, vinyl plastic came on the scene. This material is lighter and lasts longer. The 30 centimeter (12 inch) LP, or long-playing version, was first released in 1948. It became the most popular type of record. LPs can hold 20 minutes of music on each side. Music stored on vinyl is known for its full, rich sound. “Some music snobs and sound lovers still think vinyl was the best storage medium ever,” says Sinnreich.

Cassette tapes miniaturized reel-to-reel machinery to make music easily portable. Car companies of the ’60s and ’70s built cassette players into their dashboards, and soon, people were listening to songs of their choice as they drove. When the Sony Walkman portable cassette player was released in 1979, people could play music anywhere, anytime.

Cassette tapes were reel-to-reel devices, but much smaller. This made music easy to carry around. In the ’60s and ’70s, car companies built cassette players into their dashboards. Soon, people were listening to their favorite songs as they drove. In 1979, the Sony Walkman portable cassette player was released. Now people could play music anywhere, at any time.

In 1982, singer-songwriter Billy Joel became the first artist to release an album, titled 52nd Street, on compact disc (CD). CD players use lasers—concentrated beams of light—to read the data encoded on each disc. CDs can withstand scratches and fingerprints much better than vinyl can, and selecting songs from CDs is easier than from cassettes. 

In 1982, singer-songwriter Billy Joel made history. He became the first artist to release an album, titled 52nd Street, on compact disc (CD). CD players use lasers—concentrated beams of light. The lasers read the data stored on each disc. CDs can withstand scratches and fingerprints much better than vinyl, and they make it easier to select songs than cassettes do.

A German electrical engineering Ph.D. student named Karlheinz Brandenburg wanted to find a way to transmit music electronically. But to make that possible, digital music, like that encoded on CDs, needed a smaller format. Brandenburg decreased a song’s size by deleting sounds that the human ear can’t detect or hear well. This meant smaller files but poorer sound quality. Nevertheless, MP3s allowed people to share music over the budding internet and, starting in 2001, fill their new iPods with thousands of songs. 

Karlheinz Brandenburg was a German electrical engineering Ph.D. student. He wanted to find a way to send music electronically. But digital music, like that stored on CDs, needed a smaller format to make this possible. So Brandenburg decreased a song’s size. He deleted sounds that the human ear couldn’t pick up or hear well. This meant smaller files but worse sound quality. Still, MP3s allowed people to share music over the growing internet. And starting in 2001, people could fill their new iPods with thousands of songs.

In 2004, a company called Pandora launched a free streaming service that chose songs for listeners, introducing millions of people to a world of new music. Today, many websites offer free music streaming. But these popular services have sparked controversy over how artists should be compensated for their work.  

In 2004, a company called Pandora launched a free streaming service that chose songs for listeners. This opened a world of new music to millions of people. Today, many websites offer free music streaming. But these popular services have sparked debates over how artists should be paid for their work.

Check out some of the milestones in how music lovers have stored and listened to their favorite songs. 

Music lovers have stored and listened to their favorite songs in different ways. Check out some of the milestones.

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph—the first machine that could record and play back sound. Incoming sound waves vibrate a needle, causing it to create indentations on a wax cylinder. To play back the sound, the needle moves along the scratches as a person cranks a handle. A horn amplifies the vibrations produced.  

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph. It was the first machine that could record and play back sound. During recording, sound waves make a needle vibrate. This causes the needle to form scratches on a was cylinder To play back the sound, a person cranks the handle. The needle moves along the scratches and produces vibrations. A horn makes the sound louder.

A device called a gramophone plays circular, flat records. As a gramophone record spins on a hand-cranked turntable, a needle bumps along grooves in the record. 

A machine called a gramophone plays flat, round records. A person cranks the turntable, and the gramophone record spins. A needle bumps along grooves in the record.

A device called a reel-to-reel records audio using an electromagnet. An electric current produces its magnetic field. The electromagnet moves across a long, thin strip of tape coated in magnetic powder, magnetizing it at different points to make a recording. For the first time, recordings could be easily edited by cutting and splicing different segments of tape together.  

A device called a reel-to-reel records sound using an electromagnet. An electric current produces its magnetic field. The electromagnet moves across a long, thin strip of tape. The tape is coated in magnetic powder. This process magnetizes the tape at different points to make a recording. For the first time, recordings could be easily edited. People just had to cut and splice together different parts of the tape.

Before World War II, records were made of shellac—a substance produced by some insects. After the war, the lighter and more durable vinyl, a type of plastic, came on the scene. The 30-centimeter (12-inch) LP, or long-playing version, was first released in 1948. It came to dominate the market. LPs can hold about 20 minutes of music on each side. Music stored on vinyl is known for its full, rich sound. “Some music snobs and sound lovers still think vinyl was the best storage medium ever,” says Sinnreich. 

Before World War II, records were made of shellac, a material produced by some insects. Then, vinyl plastic came on the scene. This material is lighter and lasts longer. The 30 centimeter (12 inch) LP, or long-playing version, was first released in 1948. It became the most popular type of record. LPs can hold 20 minutes of music on each side. Music stored on vinyl is known for its full, rich sound. “Some music snobs and sound lovers still think vinyl was the best storage medium ever,” says Sinnreich.

Cassette tapes miniaturized reel-to-reel machinery to make music easily portable. Car companies of the ’60s and ’70s built cassette players into their dashboards, and soon, people were listening to songs of their choice as they drove. When the Sony Walkman portable cassette player was released in 1979, people could play music anywhere, anytime.

Cassette tapes were reel-to-reel devices, but much smaller. This made music easy to carry around. In the ’60s and ’70s, car companies built cassette players into their dashboards. Soon, people were listening to their favorite songs as they drove. In 1979, the Sony Walkman portable cassette player was released. Now people could play music anywhere, at any time.

In 1982, singer-songwriter Billy Joel became the first artist to release an album, titled 52nd Street, on compact disc (CD). CD players use lasers—concentrated beams of light—to read the data encoded on each disc. CDs can withstand scratches and fingerprints much better than vinyl can, and selecting songs from CDs is easier than from cassettes. 

In 1982, singer-songwriter Billy Joel made history. He became the first artist to release an album, titled 52nd Street, on compact disc (CD). CD players use lasers—concentrated beams of light. The lasers read the data stored on each disc. CDs can withstand scratches and fingerprints much better than vinyl, and they make it easier to select songs than cassettes do.

A German electrical engineering Ph.D. student named Karlheinz Brandenburg wanted to find a way to transmit music electronically. But to make that possible, digital music, like that encoded on CDs, needed a smaller format. Brandenburg decreased a song’s size by deleting sounds that the human ear can’t detect or hear well. This meant smaller files but poorer sound quality. Nevertheless, MP3s allowed people to share music over the budding internet and, starting in 2001, fill their new iPods with thousands of songs. 

Karlheinz Brandenburg was a German electrical engineering Ph.D. student. He wanted to find a way to send music electronically. But digital music, like that stored on CDs, needed a smaller format to make this possible. So Brandenburg decreased a song’s size. He deleted sounds that the human ear couldn’t pick up or hear well. This meant smaller files but worse sound quality. Still, MP3s allowed people to share music over the growing internet. And starting in 2001, people could fill their new iPods with thousands of songs.

In 2004, a company called Pandora launched a free streaming service that chose songs for listeners, introducing millions of people to a world of new music. Today, many websites offer free music streaming. But these popular services have sparked controversy over how artists should be compensated for their work.  

In 2004, a company called Pandora launched a free streaming service that chose songs for listeners. This opened a world of new music to millions of people. Today, many websites offer free music streaming. But these popular services have sparked debates over how artists should be paid for their work.