Thread by @internetarchive

At the Internet Archive, this is how we digitize #78 rpm records.
Our partner @georgeblood_lp has perfected this technique, digitizing with 4 different styli at once.

We put as much effort into capturing the #metadata as we do digitizing the music.

2/ There's a half-century of 78 rpm recordings (1898-1950s) at risk of being lost, never heard again in the digital era.
Our goal is to save them all. 🎶
You can listen to 255,000 of these 78 rpm recordings in the George Blood Collection: archive.org/details/george…
@great78project

3/ Another benefit of digitization? Discovering little-known corners of #music history.

After scanning 250,000 sides, we've found 80% of these #78s were produced by the "Big Five" labels.
@great78project
great78.archive.org

4/ ...but along the way, we've uncovered 1700 other music labels + some pretty beautiful picture discs.

From 1898-1950, this was THE way music was recorded & shared. Shouldn't we preserve this part of our musical history?

To learn more or get involved:
great78.archive.org

5/ Oh, and best of all? When a new generation discovers the amazing stories behind each #78. Here's @mddy777's 90-sec podcast about Sister Rosetta Tharpe's saucy "That's All," part of @RowanWriting's The Phono Project.
phonoproject.com/2020/07/03/tha…

6/ There are so many great ways to enjoy these #78 rpm recordings.
Follow @great78project for a different tune each hour.
Or use this tool to pick your favorite artists & listen to them shuffled automatically:
liveshuffle.net/great78shuffle…