Edison Phonograph Company
The Edison Phonograph Company was founded by inventor Thomas Alva Edison (1847–1931) with the aim of commercializing one of his most famous inventions, the phonograph. Edison invented the principle of the phonograph in 1877, and the revolutionary technology of mechanically recording and playing back sound attracted a great deal of attention at the time. Edison's early phonographs used tin foil to carve sound grooves, but there were issues with sound quality and durability, and after repeated improvements, cylindrical media made of soft wax became mainstream. These improvements made the phonograph practical for recording not only voice but also music, and Edison founded the Edison Phonograph Company in 1887 to manufacture and sell phonographs based on his patents.
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Business expansion and role in the North American market
The Edison Phonograph Company expanded its business by focusing on the manufacture of phonograph units and interchangeable recording cylinders. Initially, there was a large demand for dictation devices for business use, targeting companies, parliaments, and law firms. However, as recording technology improved, the possibility of using the device as a medium for reproducing music was noticed, and from 1888 onwards, concert recordings and commercial distribution of music cylinders began. In 1889, Edison dispatched engineer A. Theo. E. Wangemann to Europe to demonstrate the phonograph to royalty, nobility, and scientists in Berlin and London, and actually made recordings. Recordings made during this period included Frank Goede's piccolo performance of "The Warbler," and these recordings were made experimentally under the name of the Edison Phonograph Company. Edison established the North American Phonograph Company to sell the devices under license in the North American market, and further expanded its sales channels by lending reproduction rights to Columbia Phonograph Company and others. As a result, phonographs and recording cylinders penetrated the home and entertainment markets.
Impact on the music industry and subsequent developments
The Edison Phonograph Company not only built the foundations of the recording industry, but also created a catalyst for the worldwide spread of commercial music recording. Although Edison himself saw the phonograph as an "alternative to paperwork," in reality music recording was much more accepted in the market, and the technology continued to improve. In the early 20th century, not only cylinder phonographs but also disk-type phonographs appeared as competitors, and the Edison Disc Phonograph was introduced to compete with Victor Talking Machine Company (later RCA Victor) and Columbia, but ultimately cylinder recording declined due to the expansion of the disk market. Nevertheless, the Edison Phonograph Company developed the durable Blue Amberol Cylinder made of celluloid in 1908 in an attempt to extend the life of the cylinder. This technology is known as an important turning point in the history of recording media. In the 1930s, with the spread of disk phonographs and the expansion of radio broadcasting, the Edison Phonograph Company withdrew from the recording business, bringing an end to its long history. However, early recordings engraved on wax cylinders remain in archives around the world as basic material for research into acoustic history.
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