Who Invented the Cassette Tape?
The cassette tape was invented by a number of individuals over a long period of time. The basic idea behind a cassette is to use magnetic tape to record analog signals for playback. The tape is housed in a plastic or metal case and inserted into a tape deck. The origins of the name come from the French word that means "little box." The most common form of cassette tape is a case that holds two spools of magnetic tape that have a two sets of stereo tracks.
Origins
Oberlin Smith conceived of using magnetic technology to record audio in 1888, but his initial inventions proved fruitless. It wasn't until Vlademar Poulsen built a magnetic wire that could record that the idea worked. The modern idea of using a polymer tape was designed by Fritz Pfleumer in 1928.
Introduction
In 1963, Philips first introduced the cassette player to the audio market. In conjunction with the player, it released the Compact Cassette, a miniature audio tape.
Considerations
The early cassette tapes were mostly designed to work as dictation machines or personal recorders. All of the tapes released initially were blank and needed to be recorded on. However, in 1966, the Mercury Record Company saw the potential of the American music market and released 49 titles of recorded material.
Significance
Although there were a wide variety of formats in the initial years, Sony pushed to open up Philips Compact Cassette technology to a free licensing format. This meant that the cartridge system across companies was identical.
Effects
The 1980s were the heyday for cassette tapes. With the invention of the Walkman by Sony, a portable music device, and high quality stereo systems, cassette tapes began replacing traditional vinyl LPs.
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