Technology Advance Music Consumption

Matthew Tenenbaum 

A world without music is silent. Experts have evidence that music has been an important part of human culture dating back 30 to 60,000 years. With that said, not only has the content changed and evolved but the way it is delivered to people has ever changing constantly. In today’s day and age we pick up our iPhones, click on the app for apple music, type in whatever song we desire to listen to, and within seconds it is playing. People are so used to this type of technology even though it has only been around for a short time in comparison to the way people used to absorb music. The ability to listen to music off of our mobile-phones through streaming platforms such as Apple Music and Soundcloud, etc. is very interesting if you take a deeper look into the technologies in the past that influenced its creation.

The most common way people would hear music dating back to its early stages would be through a live performance. People would physically have to travel to a concert venue in order to hear music. Someone had to be singing or playing an instrument in front of an audience in order for people to absorb intricate sounds acquired from the combination of voice and performance. It wasn’t until 1877 when Thomas Edison invented the Phonograph, the consumption of musical sound changed forever. This was the first machine that was able to record music and play it back. Edisons invention revolutionized the development of music and was really a monumental step in human history. 

About a decade later in the 1890’s the transitional phase from pre-recorded wax cylinders created from the phonograph to flat-disc records started to occur. The main reason for this transition is because flat-disc records were easier to mass produce than the wax cylinders. These discs made out of a material called shellac, were released in 1903 and it wasn’t until after World War One did they change to vinyl. The bigger the vinyl, the longer length of music they were able to obtain. People had the ability now to collect vinyl records of their favorite artists and listen at home on a record player. 

The invention of the radio changed the absorption of music once again now that people could listen at home without having to leave to purchase a record; also record players were not cheap. People could enjoy a variety of entertainment through the radio such as news, weather, talk shows, music, short stories, sports broadcasting, story telling, etc. The radio was a huge achievement for the human and really impacted the way information was delivered. It wasn’t until 1958 that cassette tapes came around and started to replace the consumption of music yet again. 

People could now enjoy their favorite artists and books through the use of cassette tapes. They first ones were sort of complex but as they began to develop they became easy to use. By the late 60’s all cars produced by Ford Motor Company included an 8-track player for cassette tapes. As cassette tapes became smaller through the advancement of technology the innovation of listening to music while walking emerged. The Walkman, created in 1979 in my opinion is the technology that mainly influenced the iPod. This invention really changed the culture of humans because now music was more available. People began walking around the streets with headphones enjoying their favorite songs.

In the 80’s the first CD’s emerged which allowed the people to store music on their computers. This is a huge influence for streaming platforms that were created to obtain and store your favorite music easier. The reason for these platforms success would not be without the invention of the first mp3’s. This gave computer users the ability to store music without the need for a CD. This did cause a lot of problems with music theft but was sorted out by the year 2005. The most revolutionary device of them all that has ever since changed the way people consume music is the Apple iPod created in 2001. People could now listen to their favorite songs on the go without the need of a cassette tape or a CD. As iPod’s continued to advance and become more complex the store’s in which you purchased music online changed as well. Now we have Apple Music, Soundcloud and other streaming platforms that enable people to listen to whatever music they desire with the click of a few buttons. 

Music would be more appreciated if people today knew the technological advancements that have happened in order to get to the point we are at today.