Dear Phil, I enjoyed John C Dvorak's comment & logic.
With regards to Edison: While we may consider "wax" cylinders ancient technology and patently inferior to the disc system as invented by Berliner, there are aspects which made Edison's invention superior. 1. Cylinders don't change ratio as a disc does. 3. The hill-and-dale system of grooves was quieter and more responsive. 3. And most importantly - EVERY Edison cylinder machine was capable of recording onto blank media. Therein may be the real reason why the "Industry" conspired to shut the Edison system down. Had Edison been able to move to an electrical system earlier, the recording industry might have taken a very different turn. Cheers, Andrew Homzy - Department of Music Concordia University Montreal, Quebec CANADA H4B 1R6 > From: Phil Daley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Mon, 14 Oct 2002 08:02:51 -0400 > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [Finale] One Buck Forty or Die > > September 24, 2002 > By John C. Dvorak - Opinion from PC Magazine > > History. Edison invented the cylinder phonograph in 1877, and he > commercialized it as the Edison Phonograph in 1887. Curiously, the > gramophone disc was invented by Emile Berliner the same year. In 1913, even > Edison turned to the disc format. (The cylinder machine evolved into the > Ediphone, a dictation device that remained popular for years.) The history > of the music business is marked by such changes and dislocations. > When Edison first released his prerecorded cylinders, they sold for $4 > each. With mass production, he eventually brought the price down to 35 > cents, nearly a 90 percent reduction. If the same ratio held true with $16 > CDs, the cost of which has been perpetually propped up by price fixing, > they would cost $1.40. Since it costs less than 25 cents to mass-produce a > CD, $1.40 is reasonable and profitable. _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
