The Walkman helped make tape players immensely popular.
From the introduction of recordable magnetic tape in the 1930s, tape players have changed from bulky reel-to-reel systems for audio recording professionals to small portable players for the everyday consumer. Starting as a device the size of a large suitcase, tape players shrank as they became more popular; they left the recording studio and ended up everywhere--in cars, offices and even stuffed animals.
Reel-to-Reel
From the introduction of the world's first tape recorder, the Magnetophon, in Berlin in 1936 until the introduction of the cassette in the 1960s, magnetic tape was played back via two metal spindles with tape running over the recording/playback head between them. The size of these recorders was large and prohibitive until electronics firm Nagra Audio introduced the first portable tape recorder. Initially, all tape was recorded in monophonic sound until stereo was introduced in the late '40s and popularized during the '50s.
8-Tracks, 4-Tracks and PlayTapes
RCA Records introduced the first tape cartridge system in 1958, but it remained dormant until revived by used car salesman "Madman" Earl Muntz in the early 1960s. As Muntz reintroduced the 4-track cartridge system, the 8-Track car stereo system was being developed by a consortium of corporations including Lear Jet, tape manufacturer Ampex and the Ford Motor Company. Until the 1980s, 8-tracks were the primary system for car audio. In the late '60s, the PlayTape hand-held tape player was introduced, but it didn't gain significant foothold in the marketplace and disappeared shortly thereafter.
Compact Audio Cassettes
Phillips Corporation introduced the compact audio cassette--the "tape" we're all familiar with--in 1963 as a device for dictation, not predicting its eventual dominance of non-professional audio recording and playback. Mercury Records introduced prerecorded music cassettes in 1965, but they didn't catch until portable tape player technology provided better sound quality.
The Walkman and Boom Box
The portable stereo cassette player, or boom box, arrived in the mid-1970s, becoming increasingly more popular until its zenith in the late '80s. Sony introduced the Walkman in 1979, and its hand-held size and headphones made it the first truly portable and personal music listening device. The Walkman and the boom box pushed the popularity of cassettes past that of vinyl, making tape the most popular format until the widespread adoption of compact discs in the late 1980s and early '90s. The introduction of dual cassette deck facilitated easy copying of one tape to another.
The End of Analog
During its heyday, the tape player found its way into every aspect of modern life--in cars, in your hand, even inside toys such as the popular Teddy Ruxpin. As the 1990s gave way to the 2000s and widespread use of digital media for music listening, the tape player faded into obscurity, becoming the province of collectors and kitsch enthusiasts. The only significant change to the basic usability of the tape player was the inclusion of digital USB connectivity in some newer models.
Tags: tape player, audio recording, cartridge system, first tape, From introduction