ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with the early development of record collecting, as the advent of recorded sound at the end of the nineteenth century created a new form of music collectible, associated with the emergence of what can be termed a gramophone culture. Gramophone culture operated within a context that shaped the emergence and subsequent development of a collecting constituency and record collecting as a social practice. The field of record collecting was initially largely a male preserve. A range of marketing practices emerged amongst the early recording companies. Record appreciation societies were similarly important for fostering collecting as a selective activity, involving the acquisition of discrimination, discernment and cultural capital. Publications on recordings of classical music strongly emphasized discrimination, almost entirely predicated on aesthetic criteria, although with some reference to condition. The 78 era established 'record collecting' as a major activity, with its own set of collecting practices, associated literature and appreciation societies.
