Introduction:
In this blog post, I will discuss the history of the Cassette Tape and where it is now. The Cassette Tape, for those unaware, was an analog tape that stored music and was the precursor to the CD. It was one of the first technologies that allowed music to spread wider.
The Beginning:
In 1962, a company in Belgium called the Phillips Company created the first Cassette Tape, they then unveiled the invention on a Berlin Radio Show on August 30th, 1963. The invention then took off in sales. The Tape then made it's way over to the US in November of the same year, thus making its mark on the world as a way to make music on the go.
The Popular Years:
After the Cassette came out, the popularity continued to grow as the years went on. The ability to have music on the go was huge for that time. And the portability of the tapes were only heightened by the invention of the Sony Walkman in 1979. Another popular feature was how you could record songs on a radio and save them to a Cassette tape. So you could have your own custom playlist on the tape itself.
The 1980's was the peak of the Cassette's popularity, with multiple portable players being sold, everyone was able to have their tapes on the go. The abilities and capabilities of the tapes were shown in many different forms of pop culture, mostly in movies.
The Downfall:
The popularity of the Cassette Tape began to slowly decline after the invention of the Compact Disc (CD) in the 1990's. The CD had more space to save music and left the tape as old technology. In the 2000's, the tape basically went extinct, everyone was using CD's and the tapes were long forgotten after the 90's ended.
Where are they now?:
The Cassette Tapes are still mostly unused, however certain groups use them as Retro technology, and the popularity has slightly gone up since the tape's use in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, where the main character uses one the entire movie. The younger culture of today has a fascination with older technology, like how Vinyl has made a come back, and the Cassette Tape is one of the "Retro" technologies that they are interested in reviving.
Conclusion:
The Cassette Tape was a revolutionary invention designed to make music more portable and shareble. After a nearly 3 decade run in the spotlight, it provided the ability to create personal mixtapes and playlists that people could always have with them. And with the increase of Retro popularity, it could have the possibility to make a big come back.
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