Austin Recording Museum needs your help!
This Indiegogo project will help the Museum jump start several initial projects as we work toward the creation of a permanent facility.
The current museum is at capacity. The project will enable us to temporarily house vintage recording devices until the permanent public facility is available. The project will enable the Museum to offset shipping expenses for folks wishing to donate significant vintage devices. We are setting up a fund to purchase historical items that become available and are not donated. The funds will also provide support for the Museum design efforts that are underway.
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Created in 2012, the Museum was established to provide a permanent public non-profit museum that preserves the history of sound recording. In addition to displaying and demonstrating recording devices from throughout the history of audio recording, MOMSR will profile significant inventors, manufacturers, engineers, producers and artists who created and benefitted from the technology.
This is especially important given Austin's being the "Live Music Capitol of the World." The Museum will have areas that can potentially celebrate the lives of iconic Austin & Texas folks including: Willie Nelson, Stevie Ray Vaughn, George Strait, Dan Rather, Cactus Pryor and others who folks recommend be included. The Museum will be internationally inclusive with devices from around the world.
Our goal is to join with other Austin and Texas collections that will enhance the broad appeal of the Museum. We envision a world class museum that will become a major destination facility for Austin.
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To provide perspective, there will be specific interactive displays to show how sound recording evolved and how it has impacted: broadcasting; education; film, games, music, science and video.
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The Museum will include historical/educational displays that trace sound recording tech from the 1800's through acoustic, magnetic and modern digital recording technology.
The Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording's Board is conducting this Indiegogo.com project. Our Board members: Lloyd Cates, architect; Michael F. Murray, international consultant; Chris & Martin Theophilus (NARAS,AES), Directors, Phantom Productions, Inc. est 1964; Bennie Wallace, co-founder TapeandMedia; and Thomas P. Washburn, attorney, De Leon & Washburn. The Museum is a member of the Austin Museum Partnership.
The core of the present Museum displays come from the private Theophilus vintage recording collection of 180 + vintage magnetic recording devices, 100 + vintage microphones and all the associated vintage documentation and accessories. This collection will initially be loaned and then eventually donated to MOMSR. Much of the information is already available through the Museum's web site. Between the MOMSR and the Reel2ReelTexas websites, we receive over 1.5 million hits each month.
Most of the development of magnetic sound recording came into being after WW II. The early vintage magnetic sound recording devices, their inventors, manufacturers and engineers/producers are now 70 years old and older. We are losing the individuals in this area much like we're losing WW II veterans. A great deal of the early technology is also being lost. While there are a few museums with some significant recording items, many of the devices have been discarded, or are only available in private collections.
On our web site we are documenting the lives of significant individuals who have contributed to the history of sound recording.
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MOMSR has already completed several documentary interviews including Robert Metzner (97), the founder of Califone & Roberts Recorders, David Hough the original and current Austin City Limits audio engineer and several more.
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What We Need
It is the Museum's mission to preserve this sound recording technology, its rich history and make it available in a permanent public museum. MOMSR is presently being offered donations of significant vintage recording devices that would help the Museum tell the story of the history of sound recording. Our problem is we are out of room in the present collection. Most recently we are being offered the vintage audio editing equipment that supported the first animatronic characters at Disney World Orlando, FL. These offers are being turned down until we have space.
So we are asking for your help in four areas.
1. Funds to lease temporary storage space for recording devices that are presently being donated to the Museum. Climate controlled storage X $175 per month for 12 months = $2,100.
2. Funds to reimburse those donors who cannot afford shipping of devices that meet our requirements and add value to the Museum. We estimate $2,000 for the shipping fund.
3. Funds to acquire significant vintage recording devices that add value to the Museum and are available, but not being donated. We are asking for $5,000 to enable the purchase of additional significant vintage recording devices.
4. Funds to allow us to complete the initial design phase of the Museum's physical facility. We are allowing $5,000 for initial facility design work.
Our total Indiegogo project is request is $14,100.00
You might choose to make your donation to honor or commemorate an individual who contributed to sound recording technology.
We hope this project also stimulates interest and support for the overall creation of a permanent public recording technology museum in Austin, Texas! Please help us get the word out about our Museum!
If you are unable to donate at this time, you can still provide a significant service by sharing our information with others to help get the word out and by:
• Contributing items that increase the depth of the Museums sound recording collection (most donations are tax deductible)
• Contributing your time to assist with the archiving of information for the Museum's library once the facility is established
• Volunteering time to help with restoration of vintage devices
• Telling us your story of how sound recording helped enrich your life
Please note: Funds that may be donated in excess of our project's goal will be utilized for the development of the permanent public museum facility.
