Over the years, the way we access music has changed significantly, thanks to advancements in technology and the rise of the internet. In the past, music was primarily accessed through live performances or radio broadcasts, but today, we have countless options for listening to music. We take a journey through the various mediums used to access music from the past to the present.
1. Phonograph Records
Also known as vinyl records, the phonograph was the primary medium used for music reproduction throughout the 20th century. Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877 which could both record and reproduce sound. They were the primary means of listening to music for several decades, until the introduction of cassette tapes and CDs in the 1980s.
2. Cassettes
The cassette tape was one of the first technologies that allowed us to share music and recordings on a much wider scale. The Cassette Tape was first developed by the Philips company in 1962 in Belgium. When the cassette tape came on the scene, it was revolutionary for the fact that you could create your own mixtape (compilation of music, typically from multiple sources).
3. Compact Discs (CDs)
By the early 2000s, cassette tapes had become almost nonexistent, with more album releases occurring solely on CDs. The first compact disc was manufactured by Philips and Sony in 1982 to store and play digital audio recordings. “The Visitors” by ABBA was the first industrially produced music on a CD. The invention of the Compact Disc Recordable CD-R made it possible to burn your own music data onto a CD.
4. File transfers
The days of the mp3 player, infrared sharing, Bluetooth, and file downloads from websites became the norm of the day during the mid-2000s. CDs were gradually fading away due to the ease of transferring music through these means. More advanced tech systems had been discovered that enabled music to be accessed from anywhere and anytime at little or low cost.
5. Streaming
Streaming has revolutionized the way we listen to music, making it more accessible than ever before. With streaming platforms, we have access to millions of songs at our fingertips, anytime, anywhere. This has made it much easier for music fans to discover new artists and genres, without worrying about the cost of purchasing albums or singles. Users can share their playlists with friends, see what their friends are listening to, and discover new music. This has created a sense of community around music, connecting fans from around the world.
Written by Emmanuel Paapa Quaicoe
