The Berliner Disc at 130: A Symposium

Emile Berliner’s lateral-cut disc reshaped how the world heard itself. On the format’s 130th anniversary, scholars and practitioners gather to reconsider its technical, commercial and cultural legacy.

Saturday 10 & Sunday 11 October 2026 · University Lecture Theatre & online

Two days of papers, panels and demonstrations examine how a flat, mass-produced disc displaced the cylinder and built the modern record industry.

Sessions address:

• The lateral-cut groove and the economics of pressing
• Record labels as cultural gatekeepers
• Preservation challenges for early shellac
• Reissue, remastering and the ethics of “cleaning up” the past

A full programme and registration details will be published in August.