Long before the advent of compact discs and MP3, there was the humble cassette tape.
Compact cassettes or cassette tapes is a type of magnetic tape often used for recording or for playing back an audio material. It usually comes in a small plastic tape with two spools wounded inside. The term cassette is a French word which means "little box".
Cassettes were first introduced in 1963 and were originally intended for dictation purposes only. By 1971 however, a special mechanism was added in order to improve the tapes' audio quality. This resulted in the popularity of cassettes for musical use.
By the 80s, this format's popularity continued to increase as several companies introduced a portable cassette player such as Sony's Walkman. Installing a cassette desk in vehicles also became a fad that lasted until 1990s.
Technological advancements however, caused the downfall of this music format. It further declined with the advent of compact discs which features greater audio quality and larger data storage.
While cassettes today are now becoming more marginal, they are still used for several business and educational settings. In some developing countries, cassettes are still used as a dominant medium for listening or recording music.
Music Cassettes
Compact discs and MP3s now seem to rule the music industry. However, there was a time when the humble cassette tapes were very popular. In fact, it would be difficult to spot a teenager from the 70s and 80s who doesn't own at least one tape.
Cassette was indeed the king back then. This music format however, was initially intended for dictation purposes only. Apart from this, the quality of early cassette models as well as players weren't suited for music.
It was only in 1971 when the Advent Corporation launched a cassette deck equipped with a mechanism that reduced the noise. Other companies also developed a high-grade type of cassette that records and plays with high audio quality.
These developments, made cassette tapes a household name. They immediately replaced expensive and brittle vinyl records.
Unlike LP records, cassettes were much more durable. They are also resistant to scratches, dust, and dirt. They produce great audio quality and they are more compact that its vinyl counterpart.
By the 1980s, its popularity soared higher when portable tape players and recorders were introduced.
Major music companies then switched and recorded albums in cassettes tapes. It was mostly played in portable players such as Sony's Walkman as well as in many vehicles' audio system.
The advent of compact discs however, caused this music format to decrease in both production and consumption. Music cassette sale dropped from 442 million in 1990 to 700,000 in 2006.
Although music cassettes today are no longer used in recording music, some are still being produced as an alternative to note taking. In some developing countries, cassette tapes are still used for recording and playing music.
Get information about <a href="http://www.cassettes.com/music.php">music cassettes</a> at <a href="http://www.cassettes.com/">www.cassettes.com</a>.
Read more at: . |
