The petition for major labels to drop the 78 RPM Lawsuit against Internet Archive has officially reached 88K signatures. A stay in the case has extended proceedings until June 4th. Awesome.
Petition: https://www.change.org/p/defend-the-internet-archive
I encourage those of you who have yet to sign or record a message to do so. For those who don't know, labels are suing Internet Archive for hosting a collection of dusty, degraded 78 RPM records, which are primarily accessed by students researching antiquated recording technologies -- not music pirates.
They pose NO harm to major record labels, any more than finding said records in an unmarked box at a flea market. None of these records are in demand for their degraded state. They are not for sale, with rare exceptions that may be remastered on DSPs. In short, no one outside of researchers and audio repair coding techs are looking at them.
The 78 RPM collection is yet another flimsy excuse in a line of many to shut down the Archive itself, which hosts a wealth of educational, software, textual, and historical information you cannot find anywhere else. Read more about the Archive, implications of this lawsuit, meaning, and consequences here. (Source: Yatsufusa)
Below is the update from Internet Archive.
88,000 strong—and growing. Thank you!
Internet Archive (archive.org)
San Francisco, CA, United States
May 20, 2025
We’re blown away by the response to our campaign: 88,000 people (and counting!) have signed the open letter to Defend the Internet Archive and Protect the Wayback Machine.
That’s 88,000 voices standing up for preservation, access to knowledge, and the idea that libraries should be able to do the critical work of preserving culture—even in the digital age.
Your support couldn’t come at a more important time. The judge presiding over the lawsuit has extended a stay while the parties continue to work towards a resolution. The new stay extends through June 4th.
What’s next?
This is a critical moment as we head towards June 4th. And you can help.
🎯 Let’s get to 100,000 signatures.
Together, we’ve built something powerful—let’s keep going.
Invite 5 friends to sign the open letter today:
👉 https://www.change.org/p/defend-the-internet-archive
Thank you again for being part of this movement. The Internet Archive exists because people like you believe that the past shouldn’t disappear—and that the tools to preserve it are worth fighting for.
Onward,
—The Internet Archive Team
What have I been using the Archive for lately?
In a word, recovering lost media. My recent fascination has been with Computer Music Magazine, a publication which ran in the UK from 1998 to 2024. Sister to Future Music Magazine, it came with cover CDs, lots of tutorials and sound design tips. Often, it included software, product demos, plugins, samples, and full video walkthroughs.
Through this magazine, I discovered a pack by Cyclick Samples, now defunct, and I became obsessed.
Here are some issues I found containing their samples.
And here is a 2009 magazine from Computer Music preserved on the Archive. I couldn't find this stuff ANYWHERE, not even on eBay, and I am still looking for more issues.
These are the kinds of things I look for -- legacy software, quality samples, and magazines no longer available in print. These resources help me to make my own instruments, samples, and music production articles. In fact, they are my primary source, and favorite rabbit holes.
What do you use the Archive for?
Aalasteir
I use the Internet archive to look for web pages, and movies for example a horror film titled Threads!
ADR3-N
I completely forgot about that, despite using the archive extension for ... basically everything!