April 2005 marks the 10th anniversary of the inaugural publication of
the Mechanical Music Digest.  The first issue of the MMD was sent out
April 17, 1995 to a list of 51 subscribers.  There are now over 1,000
subscribers worldwide.  In the here-today-gone-tomorrow internet world,
it is amazing that MMD has endured for ten years.

I asked Jody Kravitz how it all began.  He replied:

   "As my memory goes, I had posted a question to a Usenet newsgroup
about scanning rolls.  Terry Smythe sent me a private e-mail suggesting
I set up a 'list server'.  I replied but never got around to it.  He
wrote to me again and offered a 'seed list' to get things going.  It
took about two days to figure out that it was going to have to be an
edited digest because the e-mail messages were too frequent and it was
hard to follow the threads.

   "I didn't have software to do the digest automatically, so I started
doing the editing by hand.  As the list grew, I called for a volunteer
to help with a 'search facility'.   The 'Indexed Archives' were Bob
Fitterman's work.  We still use the same program.

   "After corresponding with Robbie Rhodes for a while, I met him for
the first time at the Dixieland Jazz Festival in San Diego.  He said,
'Look for the guy that looks like George Bush [Sr.]'  I handed him a
printout of a piano roll scan.  He identified it as "The Entertainer".
Amazing!  In time, he started helping with editing and now basically
does all of it.  Google now indexes the whole MMD Archive really well.
Its been a great ride.  We've met so many nice people and have really
enjoyed helping people get together to solve problems."


Robbie Rhodes recalled how he met Jody and some of the early MMD'ers
in the San Diego area:

   "I got acquainted with the San Diego gang via David Wasson.  Wayne
Stahnke had asked me to help staff his small booth at the West Coast
NAMM show.  I helped explain to folks how Wayne's Boesendorfer
recording and reproducing system worked and that they could play his
Live Performance floppy diskettes on the new Yamaha Disklavier piano.
While Wayne was holed up in a back room with some Yamaha bigwigs, David
came up and introduced himself: "Hi, I'm David and I built my own fair
organ myself."  Boy, that got my attention immediately!

   "When South Frisco Jazz Band performed at jazz festival in San
Diego the following November I met Jody and his family and I remember
visiting him later at his "gentleman's ranch" in the wilderness near
Ramona.  I don't remember where or when I met Mike Ames but it was
soon after meeting Jody."


As for myself, I subscribed about six months after the MMD began.  One
of my first Internet searches was for "player piano."  I was surprised
and pleased when the results revealed that there was a discussion group
for player pianos.  I had grown up with players all around me but never
met anyone else who owned one.  Now I was a part of group of fellow
owners.  Not only 88-note upright players with which I was most
familiar, but also reproducing pianos, music boxes, street  organs,
band organs and so much more.  There was a whole world of mechanical
music of which I knew nothing.  The MMD helped me become acquainted
with all types instruments.

Most importantly, I've met some very wonderful people through MMD.
I've met a number of you in person at meetings, conventions and
rallies, and "know" many others by repeatedly seeing your names in
the Digest.

I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to Jody Kravitz,
Robbie Rhodes, Bob Fitterman, Terry Smythe, and others who have helped
the MMD endure and be a helpful and influential resource in the world
of mechanical music.

On this anniversary date, I invite others to share their thoughts about
the MMD.

Joyce Brite

 [ Thanks, Joyce.  Jody wrote in the first MMDigest of 17 April 1995,
 [ http://mmd.foxtail.com/Archives/Digests/199504/1995.04.17.html :
 [
 [    "There are currently 47 addresses on the mailing list provided to
 [ me by Terry and 4 that I added to it.  There are a wide variety of
 [ interests and skills represented.  I invite each of you to introduce
 [ yourself.  Hopefully we will get some interesting conversations going."
 [
 [ Now we have more than 1200 subscribers around the world!  -- Robbie