Abstract
Volume 15 of the Contributions to the History of the Record Industry, brings together international research exploring the history, technologies, cultures and preservation of recorded sound. Spanning a wide geographical and chronological range, from the beginnings of mechanical recording to contemporary audiovisual heritage, the volume examines recording technologies and industries alongside musical traditions, performance, archival practice, politics and cultural exchange. Contributions range from the audiovisual collections of the Musical Instruments Museum in Brussels and the global circulation of early recording technologies to studies of Tibetan and South Indian recordings, Fascist Italy, Weimar Germany, Scandinavia and twentieth-century China. Together, the essays demonstrate the value of recorded sound not simply as a document of music or speech, but as historical evidence through which questions of performance, identity, ideology, technology and cultural memory can be explored. The volume also reflects on the preservation and future accessibility of recorded-sound heritage and includes memorial tributes to Gabriel Gössel and Hugo Strötbaum, recognising their important contributions to the field.