During the 1950s the experience of recording was transformed by a series of technical innovations including tape recording, editing, the LP record, and stereo sound. Within a decade recording had evolved into an art form in which multiple takes and editing were essential components in the creation of an illusory ideal performance. The British recording industry was at the forefront of development, and the rapid growth in recording activity throughout the 1950s as companies built catalogues of LP records, at first in mono but later in stereo, had a profound impact on the music profession in Britain. Despite this, there are few documented accounts of working practices, or of the experiences of those involved in recording at this time, and the subject has received sparse coverage in academic publications. This thesis studies the development of the recording of classical music in Britain in the long 1950s, the core period under discussion being 1948 to 1964. It begins by considering the current literature on recording, the cultural history of the period in relation to classical music, and the development of recording in the 1950s. Oral history informs the central part of the thesis, based on the analysis of 89 interviews with musicians, producers, engineers and others involved in recording during the 1950s and 1960s. The thesis concludes with five case studies, four of significant recordings - Tristan und Isolde (1952), Peter Grimes (1958), Elektra (1966-67), and Scheherazade (1964) - and one of a television programme, The Anatomy of a Record (1975), examining aspects of the recording process. The thesis reveals the ways in which musicians, producers, and engineers responded to the challenges and opportunities created by advances in technology, changing attitudes towards the aesthetics of performance on record, and the evolving nature of practices and relationships in the studio. It also highlights the wider impact of recording on musical practice and its central role in helping to raise standards of musical performance, develop audiences for classical music, and expand the repertoire in concert and on record.

The pilot study used in this thesis examined the attitudes and perceptions of a small group of students at the University of North Texas. The participants in this pilot study (n=22) were administered an online music file sharing survey, a Defining Issues Test (DIT), and participated in a small focus group. This thesis also outlined the history and progression of online music piracy in the United States, and addressed four research questions which aimed to determine why individuals choose to engage in the file sharing of copyrighted music online.

台灣唱片工業在1997年達到前所未有的高峰，唱片總銷售金額達新台幣123億元。可是從1998年開始，台灣唱片工業景氣急轉直下，每年的成長率至少都在-10％以上，到了2007年，整體唱片銷售總額已掉到新台幣19億元，幾乎已是十年前的六分之一。很多唱片業界的人士都怪罪數位音樂的流通，導致盜版橫行，沒有消費者願意花錢支持正版專輯，使得主流唱片市場一落千丈，可是反觀國內以獨立音樂為號召的三大音樂祭，每年參與人數皆逐年上升，尤其是野台開唱去年一舉將票價提升近一倍，但人數不減反增，三天的活動累計突破十二萬人次，雖無直接的證據證實以往聆聽主流音樂的消費者漸漸轉向獨立音樂的陣營，可是強調「真誠」與「創新」的獨立音樂，逐漸擄獲消費者的心卻是不爭的事實。 Simon Frith認為：「音樂已經變成一種商品，想要賺錢得不斷適應新的科技，這兩樣事情形塑了通俗音樂產業的面貌。」，此話明確指出，唱片工業除了得面對科技的進步，音樂的本質也相當重要。但台灣主流唱片公司一昧卸責怪罪mp3所造成的衝擊，卻忽略除了科技以外的問題。因此唯有透過完整性的產業分析，將國內主流與獨立音樂分別比較探討，才能真正的釐清國內唱片工業問題之所在。 時至今日，跨國唱片公司以裁員、縮編因應市場的轉變，許多本土中小型的主流唱片公司應運而生紛紛轉向大陸市場，獨立音樂透過網路社群的集結，蓄積龐大的力量，正逐漸解構跨國唱片公司所建構的市場規則。台灣唱片工業將會再起，網路霈然莫之能禦的力量，將使台灣富有生命力的「新音樂」推向市場。 / The Taiwan popular music industry reached the high peak in 1997 without precedent history that the total output value was NT dollar twelve billion. But from 1998, the Taiwan popular music industry had a quick and decisive turn of events for the worse. Until 2007 the total output value was about NT dollar two billion that is almost the one sixth of ten years ago. Many people in this industry have blamed the digital music for the sluggish market. But, by contrast, there are more and more people joining the three most famous indie-music festivals, especially Formoz Festival 2007. Although It raised the ticket price to two times, the total entrance people reached one hundred-twenty thousand. Even though there is no direct evidence that the most of customers listening pop music turn to indie music, in fact, the indie music that highlights “honest” and “innovative” gradually attract many customers. Simon Frith said: “pop music as we know it now has been shaped by the problems of making music a commodity and the challenges of adapting money-making practices to changing technologies.” This paragraph indicates that technology is very important to music industry. Besides, the innate character of music is also more important. Therefore, I think that if we want to understand what the problems with, we must take the macroscopic method to analysis this industry. However, the international recording companies have been in droves to lay off employees in order to the sluggish market coming. There are many small or medium major recording companies being formed and turning to China market. And then, many indie music companies use internet to cluster together for store up strength to deconstruct the rule that the international recording companies formulated. The application of internet will improve the “new music” to the market, and the Taiwan popular music industries will revival.