1877
Sound recording technology is born in the USA. In 1877, Thomas Edison patents the Phonograph, the first device capable of recording and reproducing sound. It uses a sheet of tin foil wrapped round a grooved brass cylinder.
录音技术诞生于美国。1877年，托马斯·爱迪生发明了留声机，这是世界上第一台能用于声音录放的设备。这款留声机的主要材料是一个包裹着锡纸的带槽黄铜圆筒。
1885
Alexander Graham Bell, with cousin Chichester Bell and associate Charles Tainter, patents a machine that uses cardboard cylinders with a wax coating.
亚历山大·格拉汉姆·贝尔和他的侄子奇切斯特·贝尔以及助手查尔斯·泰恩特，发明了一种使用带有蜡涂层纸板圆筒的机器。
1887
German-American inventor Emile Berliner applies for a patent for a Gramophone, which plays flat zinc discs.
德裔美国发明家爱米尔·贝利纳申请了一项留声机专利，这种留声机可以播放扁平的锌唱片。
1888
Thomas Edison produces his 'Perfected Phonograph', which records and plays a solid wax cylinder. A shaver enables the cylinder to be re-used a number of times.
托马斯·爱迪生（Thomas Edison）发明了“完美留声机”，这种留声机可以在蜡筒上录制并播放音乐。使用刻刀让蜡柱可以被重复使用。
1889
First Emile Berliner discs become commercially available. These are five inches (12.7 cm) in diameter and made of rubber. Sound quality, however, is poor until 1896, when shellac replaces rubber.
In Germany, Ludwig Koch makes the world’s first wildlife recording - at the age of eight. He records the family’s cage-bird, a white-rumped shama. As an adult, Koch would become one of the leading figures in the development of wildlife sound recording.
第一款爱米尔·贝利纳（Emile Berliner）唱片被商业化。它们的直径为5英寸(12.7厘米)，由橡胶制成。然而，直到1896年虫胶取代橡胶，音质才有所改善。
德国的路德维希·科赫（Ludwig Koch）在他八岁时录制了世界上第一张野生动物录音。他录下了家养的白腰鹊鸲的声音。成年后，科赫成为野生动物录音技术发展的领军人物之一。
1890
First ethnographic field recordings made. Jesse Walter Fewkes records songs and stories of Passamaquoddy Native Americans, in Calais, Maine, USA, on an Edison Phonograph. Before long sound recordings were being used for the comparative study of music and languages throughout the world.
完成首次人种学田野录音。杰西·沃尔特·福克斯（Jesse Walter Fewkes）用爱迪生留声机记录了美国缅因州加来(Calais)的帕萨马科迪(Passamaquoddy)美国土著的歌曲和故事。不久之后，录音被运用于世界各地的音乐和语言的对比研究。
1900
First moulded cylinders produced, on hard-wearing bright pink celluloid, by the Lambert Company of Chicago.
At the beginning of the 20th century, almost all of the world’s leading record companies come to China and Hong Kong. In December 1900, the French company Pathé opens an office in Shanghai for the distribution of film equipment and accessories. The first Pathé records are announced in 1908. These include double-sided discs of Chinese opera, and modern songs (shidai xiaoqu).
芝加哥兰伯特公司在耐磨的亮粉色赛璐珞1上制造了第一个模压圆筒。
在20世纪初，几乎所有世界领先的唱片公司都来到中国内地和香港。1900年12月，法国公司百代(Pathé)在上海设立办事处，经销胶片设备和配件。第一批百代公司唱片于1908年推出，包括中国戏曲和现代歌曲(时代小曲)的双面唱片。
1901
10-inch (25.4 cm) 78 rpm discs become commercially available, with over three minutes of playing time.
10英寸(25.4厘米)78 转唱片商业化，播放时长可超过三分钟。
1903
12-inch (30.48 cm) discs become commercially available, with four minutes of playing time.
The earliest discs recorded in China are made by Fred Gaisberg for the Gramophone and Typewriter Company Limited. Its 1904 Chinese catalogue lists 476 titles. These are mainly Mandarin records recorded in Shanghai and Cantonese records recorded in Hong Kong.
12英寸(30.48厘米)唱片上市，播放时长为4分钟。
最早在中国录制的唱片是由弗雷德·盖斯伯格（Fred Gaisberg）为留声机和打字机有限公司（Gramophone and Typewriter Company Limited）2制作的。它在1904年的中文目录中列出了476个曲目，主要包括在上海的录制的国语唱片和在香港录制的粤语唱片。
1908
Edison introduces the four-minute Amberol cylinder, doubling the usual cylinder playing time, but it is the flat disc that will go on to dominate the marketplace.
爱迪生（Edison）推出了4分钟的Amberol圆筒，比常规的圆筒播放时长增加了一倍，但扁平的碟形唱片将继续主导市场。
1920
The first electrical recording to be sold to the public features two hymns from the Funeral Ceremony of the Burial of the Unknown Soldier at Westminster Abbey, London, in November that year. Electrical studio recordings are not made by major record companies until 1925 however.
第一张向公众出售的以电信号转换方式录制的唱片是1920年11月在伦敦威斯敏斯特教堂为无名战士葬礼录制的两首赞美诗。然而，直到1925年，大型唱片公司才开始制作录音室版的电气化唱片。
1922
Official launch of the British Broadcasting Service (BBC) and of licensed broadcasting in the United Kingdom following decades of experiments in radio and wireless telegraphy by Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi, American Lee de Forest and others. From the outset, recorded music is a major component of public service and commercial broadcasting internationally.
在意大利发明家古列尔莫·马可尼（Guglielmo Marconi）、美国人李·德·福里斯特（Lee de Forest）等人对无线电和无线电报进行了几十年的试验之后，英国广播公司(BBC)正式启动，并获得了广播执照。在开始时，播放录制的音乐是国际上公共服务和商业广播的主要组成部分。
1927
Release of the first feature-length film to have synchronised sound: The Jazz Singer with Al Jolson.
第一部同期声长篇电影: 艾尔·乔森（Al Jolson）出演的爱情歌舞片《爵士歌手》。
Early 1930s
Picture discs first become popular in the 1930s. They are produced using a coating of clear shellac, or, later, vinyl, over a paper image. The production process did nothing for the sound quality but it the results could be visually attractive.
1930s早期
带有图案的碟片在20世纪30年代开始流行。它们是在一张纸上涂上一层透明虫胶（或是后来的乙烯基）制成的。制作过程对声音质量没有任何影响，但成品具有视觉吸引效果。
1931
Working for EMI in the UK, Alan Blumlein applies for a patent on stereophonic recording. Bell Telephone Laboratories carries out similar work in the USA.
The BBC begins testing a German-designed magnetic metal tape recorder, the Blattnerphone. An improved version of the device is used to pre-record programmes for round-the-clock transmission to different time zones.
在英国EMI公司工作的Alan Blumlein申请了立体声录音的专利。贝尔电话实验室(Bell Telephone Laboratories)在美国也开展了类似的实验。
BBC开始测试德国设计的磁性金属录音机——磁带录音机。该设备的改进版本用于预先录制节目，以便全天候传送到不同的时区。
1932
The first stereophonic recording of a major orchestra: Russian composer Alexander Scriabin's symphonic work Prometheus: The Poem of Fire performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski.
第一部大型交响乐团的立体声录音:俄罗斯作曲家亚历山大·斯克里亚宾（Alexander Scriabin）的交响乐作品《普罗米修斯:火之诗（Prometheus: The Poem of Fire）》，由费城交响乐团演奏，利奥波德·斯托科夫斯基（Leopold Stokowski）指挥。
1934
Talking books for the blind introduced in the USA. The Royal National Institute of Blind People follows suit in the UK a year later.
美国推出盲人有声读物。一年后，英国皇家国家盲人研究所(Royal National Institute of Blind People)也开始效仿。
1935
The first make-your-own-record booths are launched at the Radiolympia exhibition, Earls Court, London. Now an ordinary member of the public could put a coin in the slot and walk away with their very own unique disc. This could be sent to friends and family who could play it on their gramophone.
AEG (Germany) demonstrates the first magnetic plastic-based tape recorder, although it doesn't start to come into routine use until after World War II.
第一个自制唱片的展位出现在伦敦伯爵宫的奥林匹亚电台展览会(Radiolympia exhibition)上。现在，普通民众在投币口投一枚硬币，然后就可以带走属于他们独一无二的碟片。人们可以将唱片寄给朋友和家人，让他们在留声机上播放。
德国AEG公司展示了第一台基于塑料材料的磁性磁带录音机，但它直到第二次世界大战后才开始被广泛使用。
1945
German magnetic tape machines captured by British and American troops in Frankfurt. The technology is superior to anything known in the USA or UK at the time.
英美军队在法兰克福缴获了德国磁带机。这项技术比当时美国或英国所知的任何技术都要先进。
1948
The Columbia recording company (USA) launches the 12-inch (30.48 cm) 33 rpm micro-groove long-playing disc.
美国哥伦比亚唱片公司推出了一款12英寸(30.48厘米)33转的密纹慢转（LP）唱片。
1949
RCA Victor (USA) launches the 7-inch (17.78 cm) 45 rpm micro-groove disc.
美国RCA Victor推出了7英寸(17.78厘米)45转微槽唱片。
1950s
In the UK, records were sold first in hardware stores - record players being considered mechanical devices like any other - then in musical instrument shops. As the medium grew in popularity, the specialist record shop came to be born. In the 1950s, with the emergence of rock 'n' roll and the teenage market, record shops in the UK became social centres, where young people would congregate to hear the latest releases and argue the merits of the new generation of pop stars.
在英国，唱片最开始是在五金店出售的——唱片机像其他东西一样被归为机械设备——然后才开始在乐器店出售。随着这种媒介越来越受欢迎，专门的唱片店诞生了。20世纪50年代，随着摇滚和青少年市场的出现，英国的唱片店成为了社交中心，年轻人聚集在此听最新的唱片，讨论新一代的流行明星。
1950
Development and marketing of the Ferrograph tape recorder marks the beginning of a new era in home recording. Much of the unique content which survives in US and UK sound archives today was recorded by amateurs using this domestic technology. It is also widely adopted by musicians.
英国开盘磁带录音机的开发和销售标志着家庭录音新纪元的开始。今天，在美国和英国保存的声音档案中，许多独特的内容是由业余爱好者使用这种家用技术录制的。它也被音乐家广泛采用。
1953
The first small robust portable tape recorders are manufactured by the Nagra company. Now field recordists could take this high-quality equipment to the remotest of locations and return with hitherto unavailable recordings of music from many different traditions.
瑞士Nagra公司制造了第一台小型的便携式磁带录音机。现在田野记录员可以把这种高质量的设备带到很远的地方，并将迄今为止无法获得的来自许多不同传统的音乐录制回来。
1954
The transistor radio is launched in the USA, revolutionising listening habits. Its small size and portability allows people to listen to music wherever they go.
美国推出了晶体管收音机，这彻底改变了人们的收听习惯。它小巧便携，让人们无论走到哪里都能听音乐。
1955
First eight-track recording machine, using one-inch (2.54 cm) wide tape, developed by Ampex with guitarist Les Paul. Multi-track recording allows the separate recording of different musical parts to create a single work.
第一台八声道录音机，使用一英寸(2.54厘米)宽的磁带，由美国安派克斯公司（Ampex Electronic Inc）的吉他手Les Paul开发。多轨道录音允许单独录制不同的音乐部分并生成一个作品。
1958
First stereo LPs go on sale to the public, produced by Audio Fidelity (USA).
由 Audio Fidelity(美国)制作的第一张“高保真”立体声黑胶唱片在美国上市。
1963
In the Netherlands, the Philips company launches the Compact Cassette, although its heyday as a format for home and off-air recording, and illicit trading of live rock concerts, will not arrive until the 1970s.
荷兰飞利浦公司推出了小型盒式磁带，但直到20世纪70年代，才迎来它在家庭录音、非广播录音，以及现场摇滚音乐会的非法盗录交易中的全盛时期。
1964
Unlicensed 'pirate' radio stations such as Radio Caroline and (later) Radio London begin broadcasting from ships anchored off the UK coast, outside the UK’s territorial limits. More recent ‘pirates’ have been land-based, often broadcasting from tower blocks in urban areas.
未经许可的“盗版”电台，如卡罗琳电台(radio Caroline)和伦敦电台(radio London)，开始英国领土限制之外，从抛锚在英国海岸的船只上进行广播。最近的“盗版”电台转移至陆地，通常是在城市的高楼大厦里进行广播。
1967
First digital audio recorder developed at NHK research facilities in Japan.
日本NHK研究机构开发了第一个数字录音机。
1979
Sony Walkman portable cassette player launched, allowing people to listen to their own choice of music on the move.
索尼推出便携式卡带随身听播放器，让人们随时随地收听自己喜欢的音乐。
Early 1980s
The radio-cassette players associated with the early 1980s hip-hop music culture of New York City bucked the trend of portable sound devices becoming ever smaller. A machine such as the Sharp GF-777, at 29 inches (74 cm) wide and weighing over 12 kilograms, was barely 'portable' at all. Here, size and sonic power, especially in the bass frequencies, were what mattered.
1980s早期
与20世纪80年代初期的纽约市嘻哈文化密不可分的磁带录音机，似乎与声音设备越来越便携的发展趋势背道而驰。例如像夏普GF-777这样的设备，足足有29英寸宽（74厘米），重量超过12公斤，几乎完全不能用“便携”来形容。在这里，大小和功率，特别是低音频率，才是最重要的。
1982
The first digital compact discs, with a playing time of over 70 minutes, are launched. Sales eventually overtake those of vinyl in 1988 and cassettes in 1991.
1982年，第一张播放时长超过70分钟的数码激光唱片问世。它的销量最终在1988年超过了黑胶唱片，在1991年超过了磁带。
1987
Digital audio tape (DAT) launched. DAT doesn't take off for commercial releases but is used for several years in studios and for location recording.
数字音频磁带(DAT)面世。DAT格式未用于商业发行，但在录音棚和现场录音等场景中使用了数年。
1992
MiniDisc players and recorders are launched worldwide.
迷你光盘播放机和录音机在世界各地推出。
1993
Mp3 file format launched by the Fraunhofer Institut in Germany.
德国夫琅和费集成电路研究所（Fraunhofer Institut）推出MP3数码音频文件格式。
1999
The Napster digital audio file-sharing service is launched. This allowed people to easily share mp3 audio files with other users of the service. Napster soon ran into legal problems over copyrighted material, with the rock band Metallica among the artists who sued Napster for copyright infringement, eventually forcing its closure.
纳普斯特(Napster)数字音频文件共享服务推出。这使人们可以轻松地与其他用户共享mp3音频文件。纳普斯特很快就在版权方面遇到了法律问题，摇滚乐队Metallica等艺术家起诉纳普斯特侵犯版权，最终迫使其关闭。
2001
Initial release of Apple's iPod portable digital music player.
苹果便携式数字音乐播放器iPod问世。
2003
Apple's iTunes online digital music service launched.
苹果公司推出iTunes在线数字音乐服务。
2008
Initial release of the legal music streaming service, Spotify, which was founded in Sweden. The platform is currently available in most of Europe and the Americas, Oceania, and parts of Africa and Asia.
成立于瑞典的合法音乐流媒体服务Spotify的首次发布。该平台目前在欧洲大部分地区、美洲、大洋洲、非洲和亚洲的部分地区均可使用。
2012
A study reveals that the average person in the UK will spend 13 years of their lives listening to music.
一项研究显示，英国人平均一生会花13年的时间听音乐。
2021
Radio listening on digital platforms (of all kinds) is poised to overtake analogue. Music streaming, largely using the mp3 format, is more popular than downloading. Voice-controlled playback devices and personalized music-on-demand have become commonplace.
在各种数字平台上收听广播，势将超过传统电台收听。流媒体音乐(主要使用mp3格式)比下载数码文件更流行。声控播放设备和个性化的按需音乐已经变得很普遍。
主播：Miriam Lin Pedrozo张韵霖
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