Sound Beginnings: The Early Record Industry in Australia by Ross Laird (New)
Sound Beginnings: The Early Record Industry in Australia by Ross Laird (New)
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A landmark history of Australia's recording industry, Sound Beginnings traces the emergence of recorded sound in Australia from the arrival of the phonograph in the late nineteenth century through the early decades of local record production and distribution.
Drawing on extensive archival research, archivist, discographer and recording historian Ross Laird examines the inventors, entrepreneurs, performers, manufacturers and record companies that laid the foundations of the Australian music business. From early phonograph demonstrations and wax cylinder recordings to pioneering Australian record labels and local manufacturing ventures, the book charts the emergence of a uniquely Australian recording industry and the individuals who shaped it. Particular attention is given to the transformative decade from 1924 to 1934, a period in which the Australian music industry experienced rapid growth and commercial upheaval, moving from prosperity to near total economic collapse with remarkable speed.
Illustrated with photographs and facsimiles, Sound Beginnings is widely regarded as the definitive reference on Australian recording history and an essential resource for music historians, archivists, researchers, collectors and anyone interested in Australia's musical heritage.
Details
- Author: Ross Laird
- Publisher: Currency Press (1999)
- Format: Paperback
- xvi + 368 pages
- Illustrated throughout with photographs and facsimiles
- Size: 24 cm
- ISBN: 9780868195797
- Condition: New
About the Author
Ross Laird is an sound archivist, discographer, record collector and music historian whose work has focused on the history of recorded sound and the development of the international record industry. He previously worked with the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra and was awarded a Lee Kong Chian Research Fellowship by Singapore's National Library Board in 2010.
Laird is internationally recognised for his research into recording history, discography and music archives. His publications include Sound Beginnings: The Early Record Industry in Australia (1999), The Sixties: Australian Rock & Pop Recordings 1964-1969, The First Wave: Australian Rock & Pop Recordings 1955-1963, the landmark multi-volume Brunswick Records: A Discography of Recordings, 1916-1931, and OKeh Records: A Discography, 1918-1934.
In recent years his research has expanded to Southeast Asia, culminating in From Keroncong to Xinyao: The Record Industry in Singapore, 1903-1985, a groundbreaking history documenting Singapore's emergence as one of Southeast Asia's most important recording centres. His work has helped preserve and illuminate the cultural heritage of recorded music across Australia and Asia.
Keywords: Australian music history, Australian recording history, Australian record industry, music business history, phonograph, gramophone, recorded sound, record collecting, music research, Australian cultural history, archive, discography, music heritage.
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