Spotlight on Music as a Commodity: Listening to the Oldest Commercial Records

The music listening public has come back full circle to that point over a century back when music existed only in the ether, evanescent and fleeting, or in the "cloud." Despite any resurgence of vinyl, most music is accessed in a streaming format without any tangible, physical, consumable object. The shift is catastrophic for working musicians, who must return to performance for any sustainable livelihood. For much of the last century, performance existed to emulate a recording, even our musical memories and imaginations are conditioned and limited by the recordings we have heard. In this episode, we converse with collector and musical archeologist John McFadden and go on a listening tour of the oldest available records for mass consumption .Tuning, timbre and vibrato all differ from what became the norm after recording triumphed over performance. These records are our last link to the days when the composing giants walked the earth. Please join us and do not forget to like and subscribe, any note of support is meaningful and cherished.