Music Tech Blog-thing: The 8-Track Tape

Eight-Track Tape

(http://wgeneration.com/image/70/fidelipac.gif)

The eight-track tape was invented by William Powell Lear, an inventor who, before creating the eight-track tape, created instruments and communications equipment for airplanes at the Learjet Corporation. Lear first began working with the components used to make the Eight-Track Tape in 1946 while working at the Armour Research Foundation as a licensee. At the Armour Research Foundation, he was introduced to wire recording technology and began experimenting. However, he eventually went back to working with planes. In his absence, the endless loop technology changed from wire to tape. Then, in 1965 Lear returned to the endless loop technology with the invention of the eight-track tape.

In 1963 Lear had become a distributor for Muntz Electronics but was not satisfied with the technology they offered so he eventually quit and began contacting the suppliers. With a few changes Lear created a endless loop recorder with smaller pole pieces and which held eight-tracks. In 1964, after producing a couple hundred of these eight-track tapes, he began distributing them to executives at auto companies. Eventually, in 1965, he gained the backing of Ford and, in 1966, they began to put eight-track tape players into the dashboard of their cars. Just as Muntz's four track tapes were becoming popular, Lear cut in with his eight-track tapes which were cheaper and could be played in several car models.

Eight-Track Player in Ford

(http://www.recording-history.org/images/8track1.jpg)

From the 1960s into part of the 1970s, eight-track tapes flourished and became one of the first mass-marketed tapes. The eight-track tape was also very important in the car business. In 1966, the first year they were offered in Fords, 65,000 of the eight-track players were installed. Soon, eight-track players began showing up in other cars also. However, while originally they were manufactured in the USA, almost the entire production of eight-track tapes moved to Japan by 1970 and by the late 1970s the eight-track player was becoming more and more obsolete due to new innovations. It was not long until eight-track tapes were replaced by cassette tapes.

While many people regard the eight-track tape as a failure, it actually played a big role in the advancement of music and technology. The eight-track tape led the way when it came to in-car listening and although it didn't last long, for almost a decade it, was one of the primary tapes found around the world. I believe that the eight-track tape played an important role in the history of music and technology.