Title of the article
Exploring Berlin record shops
and unearthing musical value by Mia Mancini So it begins … While the Berlin Wall was still dividing the city, ethnomusicologists found a hole in the Wall through which they could transport phonogram recordings from East to West. Once the Wall fell, youths took over many abandoned buildings along the former wall as well as power plants and radio stations that were used for the war. At present, a former American espionage centre in the Grunewald is used as an outdoor recreational space for enjoying music and learning about the history of the place. These examples nicely situate the context in which music developed as a medium for unification and liberation in society. The desire to give birth to ethnomusicology in Berlin was coupled with a broader social impetus for bridging cultures and tearing down prejudices. At present however, with increasing digitalization and gentrification, what remains of this musical heritage? How does Berlin music culture live on and how is musical value produced? In order to investigate the actuality of this historic connection between music and Berlin, I started by visiting a range of record shops. Records are an analogue, older form of music consumption which require a physical medium to be heard. Despite increasing digitalization and gentrification, a subgroup of society continues to use and exchange vinyl. You might be thinking that a record is no more than a means through which you can acquire music. While it is true that for
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