Playback: From the Victrola to MP3, 100 years of music, machines, and money by Mark Coleman, Da Capo Press, $25, ISBN 0306809842 Reviewed by Wendy Grossman
TO a much larger extent than some musicians are willing to admit, music and technology are symbiotic. This is especially true of recorded music, where today’s recording technology can make even a tone-deaf singer sound as though she has perfect pitch. In Playback, Mark Coleman surveys this volatile relationship.
Format wars are, of course, a continuing problem for consumers: the 45 rpm single battled the 33 ⅓ rpm long-playing record; CDs battled vinyl; and…
