big ethno news

[merchimerch]

This is a huge deal for ethnomusicologists - Standford researchers have confirmed that Thomas Edison didn't make the first sound recording - it was made by a French typesetter Eduard Scott. It was made on paper, and was probably Scott's daughter. To be fair, the recording was made to be a visual, not sound recording, so I'm not sure how exactly this fits into our historiography/teleology.

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_8739021?source=most_viewed

Comments

[bellebonnesage.livejournal.com]

The difference between this and Edison's recording is that Edison was specifically interested in developing technology for the playback of sound.

(I grew up in West Orange, NJ, home of the Edison labs, which are now a museum. School trips ensured that I know a LOT about Thomas Edison!)