Ongoing History Daily: The original record collectors, part 2

Last time we talked about how women—not men—were the first major collectors of records. Let’s continue with that thread.

A hundred years ago, women of the house took on the role of finding something to play on the family’s new gramophone and phonographs. By the mid-1920s, women were still buying more records than men. And not only that: women were the major sellers of recorded music. If you went into a store that sold records back in the 20s, the staff in the recorded music department was made up almost exclusively of women.

Why? First, they provided cheap labour for retailers. Second, women were considered to know more about art, literature, and culture than men. Dudes were far too busy to be concerned with such things. As a result, the majority of the first record store clerks were female.

You can find Ongoing History Daily: The original record collectors, part 1 here.

More next time.