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Return To The Early 1900s With This Digitized Collection Of Obscure 78s

The Internet Archive’s Great 78 Project is protecting the sound of the early 20th century.

When thinking about the sounds of the past, our reference is often far too narrow. While recording technology may have been less prevalent during the early 20th century, millions of tracks were still put on wax. But the confines of smaller distribution networks—and the general obscurity of smaller musical groups—have made us overlook many records from the time.

The Internet Archive’s Great 78 Project wants to change that. It offers a comprehensive database of digitized recordings of 78RPM records (remember those LP sized discs that could only hold three to five minutes per side?) uploaded by institutions and volunteers from around the world. Brewster Kahle, the founder of Internet Archive, hopes that the now-78,000-plus records in the catalog, a number increasing by nearly 5,000 a month, will broaden peoples’ ideas of what music from the time was.

Looking for one of the most intense record digging experiences available? Take a dive here.

Image via Internet Archive

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