British Library Sound Archive

The British Library Sound Archive (formerly the British Institute of Recorded Sound) in London, England is one of the largest collections of recorded sound in the world, including music, spoken word and ambient recordings. It holds more than three million recordings, including over a million discs and 200,000 tapes. These include commercial record releases, chiefly from the UK, but with some from overseas, radio broadcasts (many from the BBC Sound Archive) and privately-made recordings. The history of the Sound Archive can be traced back to 1905, when it was first suggested that the British Museum should have a collection of audio recordings of poets and statesmen. The Gramophone Company started donating metal masters of audio...