America on Record

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 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 brings the story up to date, describing the digital revolution of sound recording with the rise of computers, Napster, DVD, MP3, and iPod.

Author Biography

Andre Millard is Director of American Studies and Professor of History at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is the author of “Edison and the Business of Innovation,” and a contributor to National Public Radio’s “Lost and Found Sound.”