40 Years of Portable Sound at National Science and Media Museum

On 1 July 2019, I collaborated with the National Science and Media Museum on an event entitled 40 years of Portable Sound, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Sony Walkman and acting as a public unveiling of the latest version of the Permanent Collection Galleries at the Museum of Portable Sound, along with its new 3rd Edition Gallery Guide. The portion of the event devoted to the Walkman consisted of a live talk/performance on the history of the Walkman up to its 40th birthday, seen in the video below.

In the lead-up to the event, I was also interviewed by the Associate Press outside Abbey Road Studios in London for a widely distributed wire story about the Walkman’s birthday which was translated into multiple languages.

The portion of 40 years of Portable Sound devoted to the Museum of Portable Sound included a presentation of the history and mission of my museum, as well as a listening party consisting of a selection of objects from the MOPS Permanent Collection Galleries. The MOPS 3rd Edition Gallery Guide was also made available for viewing and purchase at this event; a full preview of the book can be found below and you can purchase the 3rd Edition Gallery Guide here.

Presenting the Museum of Portable Sound’s Audio Format Timeline during the presentation on the history of the Sony Walkman at the National Science and Media Museum, 1 July 2019. Photo courtesy NSMM Curator of Sound Technologies Annie Jamieson.