Evolution of Record Players

 

Record Players

Records are making a comeback. They first were introduced in the 1880s and at their peak during the rock era around the 1960s. There are many names for records - gramophone, phonograph, or vinyl - but these are all the same thing for the most part. It first started with the phonograph cylinder and now today we have the turntable. Record players are a wonderful form of listening to music. 

History: Thomas Edison, the American inventor of the telephone and the telegraph, was the first to invent a phonograph to record and playback sounds in 1877. The first audio that Edison recorded was him reciting "Mary had a little lamb. Its fleece was white as snow. And everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go." He used foil cylinders that had grooves in them so that the needle would run through to output sound.

Thomas Edison with his Phonograph

This brings us to 1887 when German-American inventor Emile Berliner designed the gramophone from Edison's phonograph for the purpose of just playing sounds. Berliner developed flat discs, which would be the start of the record players we have today, to be played on his device. He made the discs out of hard rubber and shellac. 

From then on, the popularity of the gramophone increased. Soon in the early 1900s, the material of the discs switched over to vinyl. This is due to the old material being more fragile and vinyl discs outputted a better sound.

Through the different eras of music, the player was in popular demand. It wasn't until the 1980s that there was a downfall. This is due to cassette tapes and CDs being invented and coming out. After the decline in demand, new inventions were being made with the growth of the music industry. Vinyls were still being sold and bought, but only by certain people who enjoyed collecting and listening to this form of sound system. 

Present day: Today there was a new use of the record player as well as it becoming popular again. 

During the fall of record players in the 80s, DJs started using the turntables of the players. This began and is still being used today by current DJs at concerts. There are non-DJs purchasing turntables for personal use to listen to music at their home. The only downside to them is that some did not have a built-in speaker. That would be an additional cost if a person did not already own a speaker. 

While some are buying turntables, the purchases for the actual record players have been inclining throughout the years of the 21st century. The record players today are now modernized. The new generation is becoming attracted to this form of music and started investing in them. Purchasing vinyls of songs from the past and music from upcoming artists today.

I believe it is interesting that the record player is coming back today. There is just a feeling of nostalgia to them. I would love to purchase and listen to the music I love on a record player. I feel like it would make the music more alive.

Sources:

Holdener, Michele. “The History of Vinyl Records: An In-Depth Guide.” The Sound of Vinyl, 5 Jan. 2022, https://thesoundofvinyl.us/blogs/vinyl-101/the-history-of-vinyl-records

Clapton, Adam. “How Vinyl Record Players Influenced the Culture and Pop Music - Baltimore Post-ExaminerBaltimore Post-Examiner.” Baltimorepostexaminer.com, 6 May 2019, baltimorepostexaminer.com/how-vinyl-record-players-influenced-the-culture-and-pop-music/2019/05/06.

Katz, Russ. “A Brief History of Vinyl Records – the Vinyl Revivers.” The Vinyl Revivers, 2020, thevinylrevivers.com/a-brief-history-of-vinyl-records/.