There’s no way to predict if the digital versions of these 78s will outlast the physical items, so we are preserving both to ensure the survival of these cultural materials for future generations to study and enjoy. The format is obsolete, and just picking them up can cause them to break apart in your hands. We have preserved the often very prominent surface noise and imperfections and included files generated by different sizes and shapes of stylus to facilitate different kinds of analysis.ħ8s were mostly made from shellac, i.e., beetle resin, and were the brittle predecessors to the LP (microgroove) era. The digitization will make this less commonly available music accessible to researchers in a format where it can be manipulated and studied without harming the physical artifacts. We aim to bring to light the decisions by music collectors over the decades and a digital reference collection of underrepresented artists and genres. Started by many volunteer collectors, these new collections have been selected, digitized and preserved by the Internet Archive, George Blood LP, and the Archive of Contemporary Music. Already, over 20 collections have been selected by the Internet Archive for physical and digital preservation and access. While the commercially viable recordings will have been restored or remastered onto LP’s or CD, there is still research value in the artifacts and usage evidence in the often rare 78rpm discs and recordings. From about 1898 to the 1950s, an estimated 3 million sides (~3 minute recordings) have been made on 78rpm discs. The Great 78 Project is a community project for the preservation, research and discovery of 78rpm records. Join the Great 78 Project! Now with over 300,000 Recordings

Value of old 78 records