U.S. Opens National Registry of Sounds

Somebody really, really, really likes a 'noninterventionist' approach to transferring old sound recordings!
http://makeashorterlink.com/?Z3A315E33

Yes, this is the real Matthew, who uses proper punctuation and spelling. So you can click on the above without having to worry about having your time wasted with something completely off-topic.

'Matthew B. Tepper (if there are backslashes in this address, it is

Re: 'Some of the recordings are so fragile that the simple act of playing them can be damaging.'

It was this type of situation that prompted the development of the 'Finial' turntable, which uses laser technology to 'read' black discs.

Actually, the vinyl disks have proven to be extremely durable (although they degrade slightly each time they are played - the problem that the laser player solves). The problem is tapes. Even when stored in ideal conditions, they degrade over time.

On a related subject...a digital library of recordings won't be very useful unless we have copyright reform. Specifically, compulsary licensing of recordings, so that material can be made available to the public without having to negotiate terms with each copyright holder individually.