Source: Fortune
Summary
Aadam Jacobs, a music fan, recorded over 10,000 concerts between 1984 and 2026, including a 1989 Nirvana show, using a Sony cassette recorder and later digital equipment. Jacobs’ recordings, including those of R.E.M., The Cure, and The Pixies, are being digitized and uploaded to the Internet Archive by a group of volunteers. The collection features early performances by alternative and punk rock artists, as well as hip-hop and jam band concerts. Jacobs’ recordings are being preserved and made available for streaming and free download.
Our Reading
The numbers tell one story.
Aadam Jacobs’ 10,000+ concert recordings are a treasure trove for music lovers. The digitization process is a race against time, as the analog tapes deteriorate. Volunteers are working to transfer the recordings to digital files, with some estimating it will take a few more years to complete the project. Jacobs’ equipment evolved from a Sony cassette recorder to digital audio tape and solid-state digital recorders. His recordings are a testament to the power of music preservation.
As Jacobs said, “I think that the general consensus is, it’s easier to say I’m sorry than to ask for permission.”
Author: Evan Null
