In 1897 the first European office of The Gramophone Company is established in London. Two years later, their recording experts, Fred Gaisberg and Sinkler Darby, depart for a several month trip in order to make recordings of popular music... more
In 1897 the first European office of The Gramophone Company is established in London. Two years later, their recording experts, Fred Gaisberg and Sinkler Darby, depart for a several month trip in order to make recordings of popular music in the countries where they intend to implement agencies for The Gramophone Company, or negotiate directly with local agents. This first expedition included Spain in their itinerary and they almost made it to Lisbon, but only by the end of the following year would Portugal be included in The Gramophone Company’s repertoire. In 1900 Portugal is finally one of the countries visited by Sinkler Darby’s recording expedition, which resulted in about 70 discs. There is no national sound archive in Portugal to centralize information relating to the history of sound recording. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to make a crossing of data between national and foreign institutions, which house either original recordings, trade copies or entire documentation related to these, so that a reconstruction of these early years of this newly established music industry in Portugal can be made. Most of my research was carried at the EMI Group Archive Trust.
During the first global economy, roughly from Western industrialization to World War I, the gramophone, much like other consumer goods, circulated relatively freely around the world. This paper compares the market in India and China... more
During the first global economy, roughly from Western industrialization to World War I, the gramophone, much like other consumer goods, circulated relatively freely around the world. This paper compares the market in India and China asking how gramophone companies established themselves there and focuses on the interaction between Western businesspeople and local partners. The article first shows how agents started exploring strategies for “localizing” music and, second, how in both countries their interaction with local partners was first shaped by curiosity and commercial interest, and later by traditionalism and nationalism, the latter of which paradoxically both inhibited and enabled Western business. Based on diaries, corporate files, trade journals, and consular reports, the paper shows that the highly localized and politicized demand for music made access to local knowledge a crucial competitive advantage.
During the first global economy, roughly from Western industrialization to World War I, the gramophone, much like other consumer goods, circulated relatively freely around the world. This paper compares the market in India and China... more
During the first global economy, roughly from Western industrialization to World War I, the gramophone, much like other consumer goods, circulated relatively freely around the world. This paper compares the market in India and China asking how gramophone companies established themselves there and focuses on the interaction between Western businesspeople and local partners. The article first shows how agents started exploring strategies for “localizing” music and, second, how in both countries their interaction with local partners was first shaped by curiosity and commercial interest, and later by traditionalism and nationalism, the latter of which paradoxically both inhibited and enabled Western business. Based on diaries, corporate files, trade journals, and consular reports, the paper shows that the highly localized and politicized demand for music made access to local knowledge a crucial competitive advantage.
