Abstract
In order to study a subject rigorously and systematically we need to consider what are its characteristics. Sound recording can be understood as a process, in which audio representations of musical activity are produced and then distributed as autonomous objects within a complex set of contexts. It has made it possible to set the context of audio production apart from that of consumption in a temporal, spatial and symbolic way. Assuming that the basic methodological notions can be effective regardless of the chosen subject of research, the aim of this chapter is to look at those assumptions keeping in mind the specifics of record production. For this purpose, I will discuss some of the methods so far adopted by scholars, namely ethnography, content analysis (in its most comprehensive meaning) and historiography, concluding with some observations about quantitative approaches. While discussing methods, I will tackle some of the most commons methodological concerns about epistemology, conceptualisation, operationalization, sampling and research evaluation, and relate them with the topic at hand.