The day the music died

By Dennis G. Jerz on January 5, 2009 10:53 AM | 2 Comments

A nicely done feature on the closure of the last player-piano roll manufacturer.

One machine dates back to the 1880s when it was used to make shoes, and for the past 100 years has made the tabs with brass eyelets used to hook the roll into a piano.

There are also aging machines to perforate and punch the holes, to cut the stencils to print the lyrics, to spool the rolls and to glue the roll boxes together.

"There are so many facets of it. The perforating machines are old and cantankerous, and they're one star in a constellation of machines that all have to be functioning," Berkman said.

How interesting that the manfacture of player-piano rolls outlasted the sales of pre-recorded videotape.

Categories:

• Business,
• Cyberculture,
• History,
• Media,
• Technology

2 Comments

David Stanley | January 6, 2009 5:08 PM | Reply

I was sorry to hear about this. I own an old, restored player piano and have ordered my piano rolls from QRS for many years.

Dennis G. Jerz | January 6, 2009 7:14 PM | Reply

I guess you'd better stock up, then.

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