MUSIC ON DEMAND - Staatliches Institut für Musikforschung - Preußischer Kulturbesitz

Special exhibition

4 December 2026 to 30 December 2027

To mark the 20th anniversary of the founding of Spotify (2006), the 140th anniversary of the gramophone (1887) and the 150th anniversary of the phonograph (1877), this special exhibition traces the history of music recording and playback from its physical manifestations (wax cylinders, shellac and vinyl records, cassettes and CDs) right through to their apparent ‘dissolution’ into digital formats such as MP3s and streaming services.

For thousands of years, music was ephemeral and bound to the moment of its performance. In 1877, an invention changed everything: with Thomas Edison’s phonograph, it was now possible to record, store and play back any sound.

The exhibition ‘Music on Demand’ traces the history of this technological and cultural development right up to the present day, using objects from the collections of the Museum of Musical Instruments and the State Institute for Music Research that are being displayed in public for the first time. At the same time, it is the first exhibition in the history of the MIM to focus on playback devices and media. Exhibits from the SIM’s collection are complemented by items on loan from many other museums and private collections.

The objects and tools on display tell the richly varied story of our relationship with music. They range from the Berlin harp clock of 1764, via an Edison phonograph from 1903, to a wall-mounted system designed by Dieter Rams for Braun in the 1960s, a Revox tape recorder from the 1970s, pocket recorders and Walkmans, right through to the first sound software from the early 1990s and subsequent developments.

The exhibition also explores the consequences of the unlimited availability of ‘captured sounds’ on music production and reception. Algorithm-driven musical taste, AI-generated music to circumvent royalties, and the environmental impact of streaming are just some of the key topics in the current debate. By examining the history of recording and playback technology and its impact on musical culture, ‘Music on Demand’ makes an important contribution to the current discussion.

A bilingual catalogue (German and English) is being published by Nikolai Verlag in Berlin to accompany the exhibition.

The exhibition leaflet is available to download here.

Museum opening hours