This book is about the earliest part of recording history, and covers the period of recorded music from the birth of the phonograph in 1877 up to the emergence of radio in the early 1920s (hence the reference to Marconi). The book is particularly about the start of the record industry, and is subtitled "The First Thirty Years of Recorded Music". This period begins around 1890, when record sales got a foothold.
The focus is on the music artists and repertoire, genre, and how the phonograph shaped music culture, rather than the development of the invention itself (the technical and business aspects are well covered in Roland Gelatt's 'The Fabulous Phonograph, and Oliver Reed's 'From Tinfoil to Stereo'). Half of the book is dedicated to detailing particular recordings according to genre.
The focus is on the music artists and repertoire, genre, and how the phonograph shaped music culture, rather than the development of the invention itself (the technical and business aspects are well covered in Roland Gelatt's 'The Fabulous Phonograph, and Oliver Reed's 'From Tinfoil to Stereo'). Half of the book is dedicated to detailing particular recordings according to genre.
