First they came for the 78s, and I did not speak out…
In 2023, major record labels sued the not-for-profit Internet Archive for almost $400 million over its “Great 78 Project”. Since then, the labels have attempted to add 493 more recordings to the ongoing complaint, bringing the total in claimed damages to an absurd $621 million. If successful, the legal action threatens not only these rare historical sound recordings but the very existence of a piece of critical Internet infrastructure.
The Great 78 Project seeks to digitise some of the earliest recorded music, preserving it for generations to come. The initiative appealed for collectors to donate historic 78 rpm recordings for digital archiving. These artefacts allow researchers to cast an ear into the past. However, the increasingly rare shellac discs – precursors to the more durable vinyl used for later recordings – are extremely vulnerable to damage.
While the disappearance of these recordings would be a tragic loss for our cultural heritage, the collateral damage of the lawsuit would have much graver implications. Calling the action an “existential threat to the Internet Archive and everything we preserve”, Chris Freeland, the archive’s Director of Library Services, wrote in an appeal to defend the project:
“At a time when digital information is disappearing, being rewritten, or erased entirely, the tools to preserve history must be defended – not dismantled.”
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Read the full article: http://press.logos.co/article/save-the-songs