#86: The Fragile Future of Audio Archives
The Fragile Future of Audio Archives
In this episode of Audio Talks, I loved chatting with audio preservation experts David Seubert and Gerald Seligman to discuss the critical importance of preserving master recordings and audio heritage.
We explored the devastating impact of the 2008 Universal Fire at Universal Studios, which destroyed countless irreplaceable recordings, and the broader implications for music history and cultural memory.
The conversation delves into the challenges faced by both public institutions and commercial record labels in preserving audio, the fragility of audio heritage, the role of technology in restoration efforts, and how listeners can contribute to preserving sound history.
Listen to the broadcast recordings referenced in today’s episode:
- Fountain Hughes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTdDuXvc1lI
- Winston Churchill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkTw3_PmKtc
- Martin Luther King Jr.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdPGXmKmBZ0
Audio Podcast
About the Discography of American Historical Recordings
The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. It is part of the American Discography Project (ADP)—an initiative of the University of California, Santa Barbara and the Packard Humanities Institute that is edited by a team of researchers based at the UCSB Library.
DAHR is an expansion of the Encyclopedic Discography of Victor Recordings (EDVR) incorporating previously published discographic data licensed from various publishers, folding them into the search and display framework of DAHR. Documentation of the activities of the Victor Talking Machine Company and RCA Victor derives primarily from consultation of publications of the companies and original documents held in the archives of Sony Music Entertainment in New York City. DAHR entries describing recordings made by Columbia Records, the Berliner Gramophone Co., OKeh Records, Zonophone Records, Leeds & Catlin Records, and Decca are based on authoritative published discographies, supplemented with new research, examination of recordings in the collections of the University of California Santa Barbara Library, and submissions from record collectors and archives.
More info: adp.library.ucsb.edu
About the UCSB Cylinder Audio Archive
Before MP3s, CDs, cassettes and vinyl records, people listened to … cylinders. First made of tinfoil, then wax and plastic, cylinder recordings, commonly the size and shape of a soda can, were the first commercially produced sound recordings in the decades around the turn of the 20th century.
The UCSB Library, with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Grammy Foundation, and donors, has created a digital collection of more than 10,000 cylinder recordings held by the UCSB Library. To bring these recordings to a wider audience, the Library makes them available to download or stream online for free.
This searchable database features all types of recordings made from the late 1800s to early 1900s, including popular songs, vaudeville acts, classical and operatic music, comedic monologues, ethnic and foreign recordings, speeches and readings.
The website also includes the Library’s collection of more than 650 Vernacular Wax Cylinder Recordings, which in 2015 were selected to be part of the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry. These personal recordings, also known as home wax recordings, were made by everyday people at home, not by record companies or field researchers, and capture the early spirit of the public’s interaction with recording technology.
On this site you will have the opportunity to find out more about the cylinder format, listen to thousands of musical and spoken selections from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and discover a little-known era of recorded sound. If you know what you are looking for, enter names, titles, or subjects in the search box above, or you can browse by genre or sample some of our favourite selections in the featured cylinder section or by exploring our curated thematic playlists.
More info: cylinders.library.ucsb.edu
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Audio Talks
A podcast on all things audio presented to you by HARMAN and our family of audio brands including JBL, Harman Kardon and AKG. Host Oisin Lunny, music journalist and audio enthusiast, will interview expert guests, legends of the music industry, and audio scientists to discuss the power of music and audio in all its facets.
Audio Talks is presented by Harman.
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