Story: Recording companies and studios

Phonograph parlour

Phonograph parlour

This well-appointed phonograph parlour was operated by Andrew Balting at Hardy Street, Nelson, about 1910. On the walls are racks containing hundreds of wax cylinder recordings. At the rear are several phonographs for playing them. Chairs along the walls allowed customers to hear the cylinders before purchasing them. In the following decade, phonograph cylinders were replaced by 78-rpm records. These were more durable and gave improved sound quality. 

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Frederick Nelson Jones Collection (PAColl-3051)
Reference: 1/1-011788-G
Photograph by Frederick Nelson Jones

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Mark Derby, 'Recording companies and studios - Birth of a recording industry', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/45085/phonograph-parlour (accessed 25 April 2024)

Story by Mark Derby, published 22 Oct 2014