Technology

Charles Austin, of Concord, New Hampshire, USA, receives a patent for a 'Melodeon Reed' melodeon, a small reed organ, with a treadle-operated bellows to draw air through the reeds.

French inventor Charles Cros submits a sealed envelope containing a letter to the Academy of Sciences in Paris explaining his proposed method of recording sound using an apparatus capable of registering and reproducing sounds engraved with a diaphragm. His pioneering work. however, will be leap-frogged by Thomas Edison, with his invention of the phonograph.

Almost a year after having applied for it, inventors Chichester Bell and Charles Tainter, are granted a patent on their new sound reproducing machine, the graphophone.

Gustav A. Brachhausen of Rahway, New Jersey, USA, files a patent for a device to automatically control the number of times a tune may be played on a coin-operated automatic musical instrument.

The Brooklyn Eagle newspaper of Brooklyn, New York City, USA, is advertising a mechanical musical instrument, The Angelus Orchestral Piano-Player, at a price of $225. The ad claims that "With The Angelus, every member of your family can play the piano that has been standing idle in the parlor for years."

William Gabrielson of Kansas City, Missouri, USA, files a patent application for a "hollow bridge" device for stringed instruments which will, he claims, greatly improve "the volume of sound and the quality of the tone."

Henry Price Ball of New York City, USA, files a patent application for his invention of a perforating device for music-rolls.

Hans G. Osterberg of Auburn, New York State, USA, applies for a patent in respect of his invention of an improved type of piano tuning pin.

Peter H. Foley of Boston, Massachusetts, USA, files a US patent application for his invention of a new type of banjo leg rest, intended to free the performer from having to use both arms to support the instrument while playing.

William F. Cooper of Meriden, Connecticut, USA, is granted patent No. US725677A for his invention of a new type of bellows for musical devices.

Theodor Weisser of Neustadt, Schwarzwald, Germany is granted a US Patent for an improved metronome which he has invented. It is described as a metronome, "in which hammerstrokes on a fixed bell are regulated by means of a sliding lever, one end of which I form or provide with a toothed or notched scale to indicate the different measures to which the mechanism for operating the bell is set and at the same time to lock said lever in position."

The modern style jukebox is born when Bertram C. Kenyon, Wilmur W. Boa, and Clifford H. Green apply for a patent for a coin-operated phonograph with a record changing mechanism. As a result, the Automatic Musical Instrument Co (AMI) will introduce the first coin-operated, electrically amplified, 20-selection phonograph based on a mechanical ten-record system that plays both sides of each disc.

Roy Banks Joseph of Baltimore, Maryland, USA, applies for a US Patent for his invention, The Rolmonica, which is a harmonica played by means of a perforated paper music roll. Once manufactured, it will be advertised as a "veritable pocket-sized jazz band".

William Shockley of Bell Laboratories is granted a patent on the junction transistor in the USA. The device will revolutionise electronics and will lead to the invention of Transistor Radios, which will soon become the teenager's first choice for listening to pop and rock'n'roll music. Several songs will be inspired by Transistors including Transistor Radio (1961) by Benny Hill, Magic Transistor Radio by The Beach Boys, Radio Girl by Rick Nelson and Transistor Sister by Freddy Cannon.

Bing Crosby Enterprises (BCE), give the world's first demonstration of videotape recording in Los Angeles, California, USA. Bing Crosby contributed funds to finance the development of videotape.

Gibson Guitars in the USA patent their distinctively-shaped Flying V guitar.

The Manchester Guardian newspaper reports that stereophonic discs will be available in the UK within a few months. Critic Edward Greenfield notes that, "There are those who confidently believe that, ultimately, 'stereo' will take first place as a gramophone medium."

It is reported that Vee-Jay Records of Chicago, Illinois, USA, is reducing the price of its stereo releases to match the price of its mono releases. Stereo jazz albums will be cut from $%.98 to $4.98, while pop LPs will be reduced from $4.98 to $3.98. High prices for stereo releases are felt to be restricting sales of those albums.

Music trade magazine Billboard in the USA reports that The Rock-Ola Manufacturing Corporation of Chicago, Illinois, USA, has recently made a new product line - stereo mini-LPs in a 7" format - available. The discs, featuring three tracks per side, are 'abbreviated' versions of existing 12" LPs, are intended to be played on the latest Rock-Ola model 418-SA jukebox. Artists in the initial release include Roy Orbison, Peter Paul And Mary, Ray Charles, The New Christy Minstrels, Barbra Streisand and Floyd Cramer.

The Beach Boys release a new album, Beach Boys' Concert, in the USA on Capitol Records. Unfortunately, many of the tracks are studio recordings doctored to mske them sound live.

Cliff Bennett And The Rebel Rousers play at Lanchester School of Technology, Coventry, England, UK, Europe.

The front page story in Billboard magazine in the USA is that virtually all of the major record companies have either stopped production of monaural recordings or will do so in the very near future. Stereo is now the standard format, although some radio stations still prefer mono.

ABC Records in New York City, USA, announces that all future singles from the company will be issued in stereo. Elektra and Buddah Records have already begun issuing singles in stereo and MGM is expected to be the next label in the rush.

US music trade magazine Billboard reports that 8-Track Tape Cartridge units are experiencing a sales upsurge because the car industry is in a strong sales phase.

The Third Ear Band play at the North Staffs College of Technology, North Staffordshire, England, UK, Europe, supported by Al Stewart.

Keith Relf, vocalist of The Yardbirds, aged 33, dies at his home in Hanworth Road, Whitton, Middlesex, England, UK, Europe, after being electrocuted in a mishap involving his guitar.

Guitarist Robert Fripp performs a live Frippertronics concert at The Sound Warehouse in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Robotic duo Tik And Tok play at The Venue, London, England, UK, Europe.

On their End Of The Road tour Status Quo play at Sporthalle St. Jakob, Basel, Switzerland, Europe. During the show, Francis Rossi collapses on stage following problems with a smoke machine and has to be hospitalised. He is later moved to London for health checks and several scheduled shows on the tour have to be cancelled.

UK trade magazine Music Week reveals that compact discs are now outselling vinyl.

Iron Maiden release Ed Hunter, on EMI/Chrysalis Records in The UK. The album is a 2-CD compilation including a computer game based on the band's mascot, Eddie. The tracks on the album form the sountrack to the computer game, and were chosen by fans who voted for those tracks via the band's internet site.

Cornell Zachary of Los Angeles, California, USA, files a lawsuit against Duran Duran claiming that, because his phone number was mistakenly given out as their contact number, he has been flooded with calls, resulting in invasion of privacy and emotional distress. More specifically, Zachary claims to have suffered "life-threatening high blood-pressure episodes" and developed a sleeping disorder.

Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville, presiding over Michael Jackson's child molestation trial in Santa Maria, California, USA, rules that adult material from Internet sites found on Jackson's computers, is not admissible as prosecution evidence because it may have been automatically stored by the computers and because "there wouldn't be any way of knowing if anyone looked at the material."

An article on Rolling Stone magazine's website reports that eighteen months after the R.I.A.A. began suing people for illegally downloading music, the number of people taking part in this activity has risen from 3.8m to 8.6m. The policy doesn't seem to have been spectacularly effective.

Aspiring young singer Conor Maynard of Brighton, UK, signs up to YouTube and uploads his cover version of Breathe by Lee Carr. Five years later, Maynard will score his first hit single.

Jeffrey Owen Jones, the Rochester Institute of Technology film professor reputed to be the "Mr. Jones" in Bob Dylan's Ballad of a Thin Man, dies of lung cancer.

Beyonce stars in a new tv ad, broadcast for the first time today, for the Nintendo game Rhythm Heaven. Beyonce is seen in the commercial playing the game with her real-life nephew Juelz.

On her Facebook page, Sandie Shaw suggests to her fans that they should contact the executive producer of upcoming BBC tv special Eurovision’s Greatest Hits asking why she has not been asked to appear on it singing Puppet On A String. Fans send so many angry e-mails insisting she should be included that Miss Shaw is obliged to remove his contact details from her post.

Muse release their seventh album Drones on Warner Bros. Records in the UK, France and Poland.

It is reported that online music service Apple Music, started just seven months earlier, now has 10m paying subscribers. Apple's main rival, Spotify, took six years to reach the 10m mark.

Model Bella Hadid hits the 'unfollow' button on Selena Gomez's Instagram profile, after seeing pictures on the internet of her former boyfriend The Weeknd and Ms Gomez kissing, cuddling and holding hands in the restaurant Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica, California, USA.

Katy Perry, with nearly 108m followers, is revealed to be the most followed person on Twitter.