A Brief History of Music Formats

1877 Phonograph Cylinder 1895 Gramophone Record 1948 vinyl Record 1954 Transistor Radio Innovated by American inventor Thomas Edison, the wax cylinder was the first commercially- produced medium for recording and reproducing sound. The first disc-shaped format, Emile Berliner's gramophone record, made of delicate shellac, became the wax cylinder's main competitor. The vinyl record was more flexible and durable than its predecessors, and saw the introduction of stereo Home radio receivers had been popular for decades, but the portable transistor was enormously popular, introducing new music to millions. sound and countless innovative and influential covers. A BRIEF HISTORY of MUSIC FORMATS 1993 MP3 1982 Compact Disc 1963 Compact Cassette Tape Currently the most popular music format, distribution of MP3 files exploded in the late 1990s. For the first time, audio recordings no longer required physical manifestation. Co-developed by Sony and Philips, the CD was the first digital music format, all but replacing both the vinyl record and the cassette tape. Only recently has it been outsold by digital downloads. The compact cassette revolutionised portable music, used in almost every car, and later with the first portable cassette player, Sony's Walkman. hearingthings Wr tten & designed by Evan Linardi Additional information sourced from gizmodo.com and recording-history.org