Magnetic Media

In 1935, just before World War II, the Germans created the magnetophone, a reel-to-reel recorder using magnetic audio tape. While you may not recognize the magnetophone, it led to the development of other magnetic tape devices, including the 8-track and the compact cassette. Due to their large size, reel-to-reel recording tapes were used primarily in recording studios. Reel-to-reel technology became miniaturized around the 1950s, making it more accessible to the masses. 

Reel to Reel Player, circa 1970s

Audio Reel, "Conversations on the Craft of Poetry 1: Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren speaking with Robert Frost and John Crowe Ransom", 1961.

The company Philips, which is still producing a variety of electronic products today, invented the first cassette tapes in 1962. They became the standard format in the industry with albums on cassette hitting the market starting in 1966. Artists Nina Simone and Johnny Mathis were among the first to have their music released on this format.

Audiocassette, "Beethoven and His Time, I. Beethoven the Classicist", 1992.

Portable Audiocassette Player and Recorder with Headphones, circa 1998.

Similar to the downfall of disc records, compact cassettes were eventually overshadowed by the introduction of the CD.