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Edison's Patent
The technology that made the modern music business possible came into existence in the New Jersey laboratory where Thomas Alva Edison created the first device to both record sound and play it back. Edison’s invention came about as spin-off from his ongoing work in telephony and telegraphy. -
Where To Get It
"Mary had a little lamb" were the first words that Edison recorded on the phonograph. Edison established the Edison Speaking Phonograph Company to sell the new machine. -
Making Improvments
Improved methods of molding disc records followed in the early 20th century, and by 1915 the 78-RPM (revolutions-per-minute) record, with a playing time of about 4 1/2 minutes per side, had become standard. -
Off to War
The phonograph allowed soldiers to take music off to war with them. When the U.S. became involved in World War I, the Edison Company created a special model of the phonograph for the U.S. Army. Many Army units purchased these phonographs because it meant a lot to the soldiers to have music to cheer them and remind them of home. -
Getting Better
In 1948 Columbia Records introduced the long-playing (LP) record, which, with a rotational speed of 331/3 RPM and the use of very fine grooves, could yield up to 30 minutes of playing time per side. -
The Begining of the Stereo
These LP’s and “singles” supplanted 78s in the 1950s, and stereophonic (or “stereo”) systems, with two separate channels of information in a single groove, became a commercial reality in 1958. Stereo phonographs capable of the undistorted reproduction of sound became one component of what is known as a high-fidelity sound system. -
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Replacing Phonographs
Phonographs and records were the chief means of reproducing recorded sound at home until the 1980s, when they were largely supplanted by recorded cassettes and compact discs. Compact disc, (CD), a molded plastic disc containing digital data that is scanned by a laser beam for the reproduction of recorded sound and other information. -
Introducing CDs
Since its commercial introduction in 1982, the audio CD has almost completely replaced the phonograph disc for high-fidelity recorded music. The compact disc has expanded beyond audio recordings into other storage-and-distribution uses, notably for computers (CD-ROM) and entertainment systems (videodisc).
It was invented in 1980, but commercialized in 1982.