John Peel’s record collection is set to be digitised and placed online as part of an Arts Council project.
A legendary figure in broadcasting, John Peel remained at the forefront of musical innovation for almost fifty years. Amassing an enormous record collection, it seems that this may now be placed online. (via BBC)
Numbering more than 25,000 albums, John Peel’s record collection will be placed online as part of an Arts Council project. The John Peel Centre in Stowmarket are aiming to re-create the broadcaster’s home studio for an Arts Council project called The Space.
The full collection contains some 40,000 seven inch singles and a huge volume of CDs, but for now the project aims to focus on John Peel’s LP collection.
The Space aim to scan the artwork for each record, and – avoiding copyright issues – the bulk of the collection will be able to stream online.
In a short message Sheila Ravenscroft – John Peel’s widow – said: “We’re very happy that we’ve finally found a way to make John’s amazing collection available to his fans, as he would have wanted.”
Tom Barker, director of the John Peel Centre, said: “What we’re hoping to do is create an online interactive museum which which answers the question ‘what is in John Peel’s record collection?’ but also provides the audience with a visualisation of it.”
“We hope that giving them access to a particular band or their first album or listening to his show will inspire people to tell us their stories” he continued. “This is the first step in the journey of making one of the most important archives in modern music history available completely.”
Alongside the DJ’s record collection, The Space aim to stream each recorded Peel Session. A vital touchstone for new music, the Arts Council project will be given access to the BBC’s lengthy archive.
For more information on The Space click HERE.
