Free Republic

We’re all aware of the ongoing cassette revival, which has seen sales of pre-recorded tapes rise to their highest levels for two decades. But it seems that many Gen Z-ers are purchasing tapes without having anything to play them on. Or any idea of how they work. The Wall Street Journal has revealed this in an interesting article that interviews a number of younger tape-heads. People like Amy Campbell, who admitted she struggled at first with the Kacey Musgraves cassette she bought from the country star’s website. First she had to borrow her mother’s old tape player. Then she had...

The Dutch engineer credited with inventing the audio cassette has died. Lou Ottens was 94. As head of product development for Philips in 1960, he led a team that developed the initial portable tape recorder; he then introduced the first cassette tape at a Berlin electronics fair three years later. The slogan back then: "Smaller than a pack of cigarettes!" Primis Player Placeholder This portable tape quickly overtook cumbersome reel-to-reel recording methods that had long been the standard. Home decks gave way to boomboxes and in-dash car models – bringing music to the masses. That was, in fact, the goal:...