Cassette Tapes Speech

     In modern history, one of the coolest inventions in my opinion has been that of cassette tapes. Cassette tapes have not only revolutionized the way people listened to music on their own, but it also provided a way for people to come together and enjoy each other's company.

    When it comes to the history of cassette tapes, there is a lot to talk about. First of all, to give the backstory on how these tapes came about, in 1963, the Philips company introduced cassette tapes to the world. The new invention was announced on the Berlin Radio Show in Europe, on August 30, 1963, and was advertised as a simpler way to carry your music with you. Cassette tapes also have a feature in them to create your own mixtape, which could be shared with friends, lovers, and family. It was also a revolutionary invention in comparison to the horrendous inefficiency of R2R, otherwise known as reel-to-reel audio technology. People were soon able to listen to their tunes on the go, and this poked the interest of SONY, who would go on to invent the Walkman in 1979. Unfortunately for cassette tapes, they met their maker in the early 2000s when CDs came about. The last major music label produced on a cassette tape was a song called 'The Last Kiss' in 2009, and afterwards, cassette tapes became obsolete technology. Even though they are now pieces of junk plastic to most people, they sing a song of innovation and progress for the world of technology.

    Before cassette tapes came around, there was no way to listen to music or mixtapes on the go, unless you wanted to carry around a record player or a R2R system around, which is near impossible given the size of these pieces of technology. For context, a reel-to-reel system (invented in 1935) took up an entire desk of space, and was only used by media and radio companies. Furthermore, this is exactly why the cassette tapes revolutionized the art of listening to music- anybody could do it. There was no more limitation on when or how you could listen to your media, but you were now in control of what you wanted to listen to, as well as where you chose to do it. No expert was needed to run the technology, but the user could now wield that power. Cassette tapes even went to cars in the mid 1970s, giving drivers the chance to be entertained while making their commutes. When the Walkman came around, it was a huge hit because a person could now have their own music with them at an affordable price, which in 1980 was 150$. The Walkman was also a massive hit because it made appearances in movies and films, including AIWA's version of the device in the first 'Back To The Future' movie.

    At the end of the day, cassette tapes were a massive stepping stone in the progression of music media, and were the preferred method of listening to music for 30 years. They also paved the way for the boom box to come into the world, which had a great influence both in terms of speakers and the technology, as well as culturally in the United States and beyond. All in all, we have to give some recognition to cassette tapes, in that they are part of the reason why music, podcasts, and the radio are more easily accessible today.