Gabinetes fonográficos in Valencia, 1899–1901

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the gabinetes fonográficos active between 1899 and 1901 in Valencia—which can be rightly considered as the second main pole of the Spanish recording industry at the time. It discusses the rivalries that Valencia gabinetes maintained with their Madrid counterparts, and analyses how the compactness and connectedness of the city gave rise to a vibrant, yet ephemeral, recording culture. The chapter also discusses briefly the gabinetes located in cities other than Madrid, Valencia, and Barcelona, of which few traces have survived.