Compact cassette
Casete compacto
- Date
- 1963 · confidence high
- Place
- Philips, Hasselt, Belgium
- Credited to
- Lou Ottens (Philips)
- People
- 👤 Lou Ottens1926–2021
- Field
- Communication
What it is
A small, cheap audio tape in a cartridge, licensed royalty-free, which allowed people to record and copy music at home. It was the first truly portable and copyable music format.
What it led to
- The Walkman and personal music
- Home copying and the record industry's first alarm
- The spread of music and sermons in countries without infrastructure (the Iranian revolution)
Built on
- Magnetic tape recording (Magnetophon)1928–1935
- reel-to-reel tape recorder
Made possible
- Digital camera1975
- Sony Walkman1979
- radio cassette player
- data storage in home computers