In days of old, when men were bold

In days of old, when men were bold

And karaoke wasn't invented

They pulled chords from theatrophones

And sang aloud till contented.

Between cds, mp3s, live streams, satellite radio, and even conventional am/fm radio, it's hard to imagine being without near-instantaneous access to music. While it may seem like only recently that we've been able to listen to music via our phones, it turns out people were doing just that over 100 years ago.

 

image via skylla

The July 2, 1892, Scientific American Supplement reported on the use of a device called the theatrophone that had been in use for 2 years already in Paris. The basic idea was to be able to call into a theater and hear live music being played. One could either subscribe to receive the service in home or utilize one of the theatrophones set up in various locales such as hotels, restaurants, vestibules, and cafes throughout the city.
{Via Scientific American}

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