On this day in History

On this day in history, Thomas demonstrated the first gramophone recording of himself reciting Mary Had a Little Lamb. This was in 1877.
I smiled as I listened to this early recording and I wondered if old Tom had any inkling as to the impact of his inventions. He had so many inventions that it boggles the mind, but since I'm a singer/songwriter, the gramophone is of special interest to me.
Before Edison, all music had to be consumed in person. If you wanted to hear the New York Philharmonic, you had to go where they were playing, buy a ticket, and only then could you listen. 
Radio arrived on the scene about 40 years later which made it possible for more people to experience music, but recordings gave the gift of music much earlier.
By the early 1900's phonograph recordings became available commercially and were selling millions of units.
The Beatles, Elvis Presley, and Michael Jackson have sold almost three billion records between them.  That's billion with a B. It's hard for me to wrap my arms around three billion records. I'm betting Edison would be surprised and pleased.