Save the Music, Preserve Our Culture

In the spirit of the GRAMMY Awards airing this week, I wanted to touch on another aspect that doesn’t always get as publicized – the preservation of music.

In days of yore, music-recording devices used foil, cylinders and other metal parts that unfortunately did not stand the test of time and have been lost.  For modern times, modern methods have been used including audiotape and, of course, digital media, which have become the standard. These modern media are far less likely to deteriorate at random, but even digital media must be carefully stored, tracked and recopied from time to time to ensure their precious cargo remains intact.

The GRAMMY Foundation’s initiatives for preservation and archiving have been designed to raise public awareness of the need to preserve America’s audio legacy.

Music is part of our everyday experience and should be respected, cherished and maintained. It’s also a very important component of our heritage and shouldn’t be taken for granted. I find the music I enjoy most may come from a particular era or something based from an experience in my life. My playlists are quite varied and eclectic.

Do you remember the song playing the night you had your first school dance? What song was playing when you danced with your dad or mom at your wedding? I can’t imagine going to a sporting event and not singing the National Anthem. Music is a great way to convey feelings, or thoughts, when you may not have the words. It’s these nuances that make music so impactful.

I’m excited to witness the 14th Annual GRAMMY Foundation Music Preservation Project — “One Night Only: A Celebration Of The Live Music Experience” taking place this evening.  This event supports their prime directive and as part of that directive will take both a look back and a look forward at live concert performances, they key players behind them, and their influence in American music culture. Movements like this help me remember why music means so much to me, and to share that appreciation with others.

So in the spirit of sharing, what is the *one* record album you’d be most devastated to lose, if the master recording and all copies were lost forever?  Post your answer in the comments below, via Twitter, or our Facebook page.

2012-02-09T11:12:09+00:00

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2 Comments

  1. […] case you’ve missed previous posts, the GRAMMY Foundation works to raise public awareness of the need to preserve America’s audio […]

  2. […] posted in the past about the importance of music preservation for future generations, but the same need applies to film.  There are a ton of great films from […]

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