This project reflects the happy encounter between music and technology in the mid-nineteenth century, the great technical advances in the recording and playback of music that have taken place since then, and how these have changed the way we create, listen to, feel and share music.

This fascinating journey is curated by Cristina Zúñiga, from the arts team at the Telefónica Foundation, and starts at the dawn of sound recording with pieces such as Scott de Martinville’s phonoautograph and Thomas A. Edison’s phonograph, in parallel to such landmark inventions as the tape recorder, the compact cassette and the Discman, culminating in the most recent playback devices such as MP3 players.

Organized round three main areas according to the chronological evolution of devices and supports, the exhibition is complemented by a series of related resources such as patents, technical diagrams, photos, audio recordings, posters and audio-visual supports amongst others.

The whole exhibition offers the most comprehensive possible overview of the evolution of music recording and playback technology and the impact that this progress had on culture and society, giving rise to significant changes in the creation, production and consumption of music as well as the industry itself.