EDITION: INTERNATIONAL U.S. MÉXICO ARABIC TV: CNNi CNN en Español Set edition preference Sign up Log in Home Video World U.S. Africa Asia Europe Latin America Middle East Business World Sport Entertainment Tech Travel iReport SHARE THISPrintEmailMore sharingRedditStumbleUponDelicious/* push in config for this share instance */cnn_shareconfig.push({"id" : "cnn_sharebar1","url" : "http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/06/opinion/coleman-cassette-day/index.html","title" : "Can cassette tapes be cool again?"});Can cassette tapes be cool again?By Mark Coleman, Special to CNNSeptember 6, 2013 -- Updated 1645 GMT (0045 HKT)if (typeof cnnArticleGallery=="undefined"){var cnnArticleGallery={};if(typeof cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList=="undefined"){cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList=[];}}var expGalleryPT00=new ArticleExpandableGallery();expGalleryPT00.setImageCount(9);expGalleryPT00.setAdsRefreshCount(3);//cnn_adbptrackpgalimg("How we\'ve listened to music", 1);.cnn_html_slideshow_metadata > .cnn_html_media_utility::before{color:red;content:'>>';font-size:9px;line-height:12px;padding-right:1px}.cnnstrylccimg640{margin:0 27px 14px 0}.captionText{filter:alpha(opacity=100);opacity:1}.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a,.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a:visited,.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a:link,.captionText a,.captionText a:visited,.captiontext a:link{color:#004276;outline:medium none}.cnnVerticalGalleryPhoto{margin:0 auto;padding-right:68px;width:270px}
Today is Cassette Store Day, which its organizers hope will attract you back to the format popular in the '70s and '80s. Sure, it had its frustrations -- unspooling or twisting tape, occasionally muffled sound -- but there was also the mix tape, staple of budding romances,and now a culty coolness as bands like the Flaming Lips and Grape Soda issue their music on cassettes.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":true,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":1,"title":"How we\'ve listened to music"}
Like cassettes, vinyl records offer tactile pleasure and better sound and dominated music sales before cassettes-- and then CDs and MP3 files --came along. But even old vinyl has continued to sell, helped by a new surge in fondness for the format. The Beatles' "Abbey Road," for example, was the top-selling record in 2010 and 2011.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":2,"title":"How we\'ve listened to music"}Hard to imagine, but there was a time everyone thought they wanted clunky 8-track cassettes. In the '60s, Ford started putting 8-track tape decks in its cars, and soon, sales of this format left cassettes in the dust. But this was bound to end ...cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":3,"title":"How we\'ve listened to music"}
Hard to imagine, but there was a time everyone thought they wanted clunky 8-track cassettes. In the '60s, Ford started putting 8-track tape decks in its cars, and soon, sales of this format left cassettes in the dust. But this was bound to end ...cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":3,"title":"How we\'ve listened to music"}
With the arrival of the boom box, cassettes came back into vogue in the '80s. This hulking music delivery system was considered "portable" and helped propel cassette sales. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":4,"title":"How we\'ve listened to music"}The Walkman made listening to music truly portable -- and personal -- and in the '80s helped cassette sales outstrip vinyl for the first time. The ability to record one's own tapes was always a huge part of the cassette's appeal. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":5,"title":"How we\'ve listened to music"}Cassettes and LPs faded from the scene in the early '90s, when compact discs appeared and music went digital. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":6,"title":"How we\'ve listened to music"}But vinyl has returned on a wave of hipster chic and nostalgia, not to mention audiophiles' conviction that records just sound better. Most new releases today -- like this double-sided record from the Stooges and the Black Keys -- come out in vinyl, too.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":7,"title":"How we\'ve listened to music"}An increasing number of bands, such as MGMT, have released new music on cassette, and Cassette Store Day organizers promise release of a Fair Ohs double cassette and a Los Campesinos! live album on tape, among others. Can the trend catch up to vinyl's resurgence? It's still early.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":8,"title":"How we\'ve listened to music"}
The Walkman made listening to music truly portable -- and personal -- and in the '80s helped cassette sales outstrip vinyl for the first time. The ability to record one's own tapes was always a huge part of the cassette's appeal. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":5,"title":"How we\'ve listened to music"}
Cassettes and LPs faded from the scene in the early '90s, when compact discs appeared and music went digital. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":6,"title":"How we\'ve listened to music"}
But vinyl has returned on a wave of hipster chic and nostalgia, not to mention audiophiles' conviction that records just sound better. Most new releases today -- like this double-sided record from the Stooges and the Black Keys -- come out in vinyl, too.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":7,"title":"How we\'ve listened to music"}
An increasing number of bands, such as MGMT, have released new music on cassette, and Cassette Store Day organizers promise release of a Fair Ohs double cassette and a Los Campesinos! live album on tape, among others. Can the trend catch up to vinyl's resurgence? It's still early.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":8,"title":"How we\'ve listened to music"}
Listening to music is largely about MP3s now, but, says Mark Coleman, something unique -- personal -- was left behind in the move to digital. "If you dust off those outmoded physical formats like cassette tapes and vinyl records down in the basement, they produce more than memories: They play music."cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":9,"title":"How we\'ve listened to music"}HIDE CAPTIONHow we've listened to musicHow we've listened to musicHow we've listened to musicHow we've listened to musicHow we've listened to musicHow we've listened to musicHow we've listened to musicHow we've listened to musicHow we've listened to music<<<
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9>>>Event.observe(window,'load',function(){if(typeof(cnn_adbptrackpgalimg) == 'function' && typeof(cnnArticleGallery) != 'undefined'){cnn_adbptrackpgalimg(cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[0].image,"Can cassette tapes be cool again?");}});STORY HIGHLIGHTSMark Coleman: It's Cassette Store Day. Why would we celebrate this? Let's play alongOrganizers want to stimulate a resurgence of cassette tapes, first sold in the '60s, he saysHe says cassette tapes warred with vinyl and 8-track tapes for dominance, sometimes winningColeman: Their quality improved, though they fell from favor. But still a cultural touchstoneEditor's note: Mark Coleman is the author of "Playback: From the Victrola to MP3, 100 Years of Music, Machines and Money." (CNN) -- The cassette tape is back! Or at least this is what the organizers of Cassette Store Day -- that's right, it's today -- would have us believe. Cassettes? Really? Let's play along, if only for nostalgia's sake.
Fifty years after the prototype cassette was introduced at the 1963 Berlin Radio Show, a group of independent labels that release new cassettes have pulled together the global event celebrating and, they hope, stimulating the resurgence of prerecorded tapes.The day will be observed, according to the group's website, at roughly 100 retail stores and music venues in the U.S., Europe, Canada and South America, with tie-ins, new cassette releases and live performers pushing new tapes. Cassette releases from established bands like At the Drive-In and Flaming Lips will be vended, as well as tapes from underground artists like Grape Soda and Gold Bears on the Hope for the Tape Deck label.
Mark ColemanAnyone who remembers fumbling with a cassette deck while driving or listening as a tape unspooled and self-destructed in the tape deck or having to insert index finger or pen into the cassette in a usually vain attempt to rewind the hopelessly twisted tape must be asking a simple question: Why?In the seamless age of digital music, when seemingly every song ever recorded is available at the stroke of a few computer keys, why would anyone revive such a clunky and outmoded physical format?But consider: Even with the convenience and sheer abundance of music stored on MP3 files, cassettes (and vinyl) offer tangible and tactile pleasures that aren't readily available in the digital world. There's a sizable, and growing, subset of consumers who lust for musical objects that they can hold in their hands (and their hearts) as well as their ears.Anyone who remembers fumbling with a cassette deck while driving or listening as a tape unspooled and self-destructed in the tape deck ... must be asking a simple question: Why?"Metal and punk and noise people never stopped releasing cassettes," says Scott Seward. He is a music critic and owner of John Doe Jr. Used Records and Books in Greenfield, Massachusetts. "Fans of that music have always collected tapes. Same with jam band and Grateful Dead fans until recent years. It's still a common format for a lot of Middle Eastern, Indian and Asian street or folk music too, because cassettes are so cheap to reproduce."It's true. Cassettes have always been an alternative and were for many years something of an underdog in the musical format wars. Not long after prerecorded cassettes emerged in the vinyl-dominated marketplace, the 8-track tape format eclipsed them in popularity. That was largely because the Ford Motor Co. started offering 8-track players as an option on some of its cars beginning in 1966.The automobile would power sales of the 8-track format past the cassette in the music-mad '60s and '70s. Drivers could insert and remove the bulky 8-tracks with one hand. By 1975, incredibly, 8-track tapes were second only to vinyl records in terms of sales figures.Cassettes had already been a tough sell to audiophiles because until the advent of Dolby noise reduction in the '70s, their sound quality was muffled compared with vinyl records. Gradually that improved, just as new tape playback options emerged.Even before the Walkman, the portable stereos known as boom boxes boosted the popularity of cassettes in the urban areas where these hulking radio/tape players (aka ghetto blasters) were most often used. Boom boxes made music consumption a public event (often whether the public wanted it or not) while advancing the notion of portability.But consumers began to demand portable music players. In late 1979, Sony introduced the proto-Walkman. Retailing for $199, the Soundabout was a 14-ounce playback-only device that came with headphones and used standard-size cassettes. By 1981, the smaller and cheaper Walkman II was available.Hello, 80s? We miss you!When it comes to recorded music formats, portable equals personal. So it's no accident that the Walkman and similar devices became known as personal stereos in the early '80s. Soon, Walkman headphones were as ubiquitous as boom boxes on city streets.Thanks to the Walkman, the boom box and the cassette (and later the CD), sales of vinyl records plummeted during the '80s. In 1981, more than twice as many vinyl records as prerecorded cassettes were sold. By 1984, the numbers had flipped, and cassette sales outpaced vinyl for the first time.Despite the unsuccessful "Home Taping Is Killing Music" campaign of the early '80s, the ability to record one's own tapes was always a huge part of the cassette's appeal. Homemade mix tapes became a cultural touchstone for a generation (or two), functioning as diaries or journals and figuring in courtship rituals (see Rob Sheffield's affecting memoir "Love Is A Mix Tape"). When cassettes faded from the scene in the early '90s in the conquering wake of the CD, something unique -- personal -- got left behind.Gone, perhaps, but not forgotten. The pull of nostalgia is not the only motivation behind the recent cassette cult resurgence, but memories and recorded music are deeply -- some say neurologically -- intertwined."There is that True Cult aspect," Seward says. "It's an exclusivity thing. Cassettes just seem like a cooler thing to have for sale at your punk or noise show than a CDR. Black metal and power electronics sound fab on tape, though. Same with Miami bass music. I still listen to a lot of metal and rap on tape, and I make mix tapes from vinyl that sound amazing."Even if Cassette Store Day fails to bring prerecorded cassettes back to commercial prominence, the event makes a telling point about our music consumption. Despite the digital revolution, if you dust off those outmoded physical formats like cassette tapes and vinyl records down in the basement, they produce more than memories: They play music. They still work. Their appeal, however sentimental, is stronger than mere nostalgia.Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion.Join us on Facebook/CNNOpinion. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Mark Coleman.0Comments »SHARE THISPrintEmailMore sharingRedditStumbleUponDelicious/* push in config for this share instance */cnn_shareconfig.push({"id" : "cnn_sharebar2","url" : "http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/06/opinion/coleman-cassette-day/index.html","title" : "Can cassette tapes be cool again?"});var OB_permalink='http://edition.cnn.com'+location.pathname;var OB_langJS='http://widgets.outbrain.com/lang_en.js';var OB_widgetId='AR_1';var OB_Template="cnnedition";var OB_MarkUP = '';document.write(OB_MarkUP);if (typeof(OB_Script)!='undefined'){OutbrainStart();}else{var OB_Script=true;var str="cnnad_createAd("915015","http://ads.cnn.com/html.ng/site=cnn_international&cnn_intl_pagetype=mmst&cnn_intl_position=607x95_adlinks&cnn_intl_rollup=opinion&page.allowcompete=no¶ms.styles=fs","95","607");cnnad_registerSpace(915015,607,95);cnnad_createAd("635274","http://ads.cnn.com/html.ng/site=cnn_international&cnn_intl_pagetype=mmst&cnn_intl_position=336x850_rgt&cnn_intl_rollup=opinion&page.allowcompete=no¶ms.styles=fs","850","336");cnnad_registerSpace(635274,336,850);
Part of complete coverage on Opinion on the newsObama faces big hurdle to persuade public on SyriaSeptember 8, 2013 -- Updated 1235 GMT (2035 HKT)
Julian Zelizer says the president needs to explain why U.S. should intervene, reassure public that the intelligence is sound and consequences acceptableSocial entrepreneurs dare to change the worldSeptember 7, 2013 -- Updated 1155 GMT (1955 HKT)
Jeff Skoll and Sally Osberg say pioneers in social change are using lessons learned from business to tackle the world's biggest problemsCongressman: Syria strike not worth riskSeptember 6, 2013 -- Updated 1233 GMT (2033 HKT)
Joe Heck says the administration has not made the case for intervention. Unless U.S. interests are at stake, America's blood and treasure should not be used to send messageU.S. can't be bullied by Iran threats on Syria September 6, 2013 -- Updated 2029 GMT (0429 HKT)
Frida Ghitis says Iran's apparent order for Iraq militias to hit American targets does not change the moral and strategic calculus for U.S. strikes in Syria. Drop the smartphone, don't mess with the jukeboxSeptember 8, 2013 -- Updated 1200 GMT (2000 HKT)
Bob Greene says smartphone apps may let you control a jukebox from afar, but nothing beats the classic stroll to the machineEnd the genocide in Syria September 6, 2013 -- Updated 1711 GMT (0111 HKT)
Jeff Greene says as the world's most powerful nation, the U.S. is obliged to protect the innocent from slaughter.What the government is hiding from youSeptember 6, 2013 -- Updated 1716 GMT (0116 HKT)
Mark Rumold says we need an independent investigation into the full scope of the NSA's surveillance practice.The big debate: Should U.S. strike Syria?September 5, 2013 -- Updated 2051 GMT (0451 HKT)
CNN contributors and analysts offer their views on whether it makes sense for U.S. intervention in Syria.Can cassette tapes be cool again?September 6, 2013 -- Updated 1645 GMT (0045 HKT)
It's Cassette Store Day, and organizers of the international "holiday" would like you to dust off those mix tapes -- and maybe buy more, Mark Coleman says. Rodman just a toy for N. Korea's KimSeptember 7, 2013 -- Updated 1535 GMT (2335 HKT)
Sung-Yoon Lee says Kim Jong Un's courting of Dennis Rodman is about equivalent to his enjoyment of Disney characters and not likely a diplomatic game-changer.How G-20 keeps world away from economic brinkSeptember 6, 2013 -- Updated 1151 GMT (1951 HKT)
Thomas Wright saysSyria will likely eclipse the purpose of the St Petersburg meeting, but the world still needs the body as a steering committee to avert global economy crises. Should undocumented immigrant practice law?September 6, 2013 -- Updated 1929 GMT (0329 HKT)
Ruben Navarrette asks: How can Sergio Garcia uphold the law when he has lived in defiance of federal law?School bullying's chilling new frontSeptember 5, 2013 -- Updated 1528 GMT (2328 HKT)
Francey Hakes says bullies are nothing new, but their ability to torment has grown exponentially with the internet. Parents must police their kids online presence to ensure they don't participate.Syria plunging Mideast into sectarian war?September 4, 2013 -- Updated 1722 GMT (0122 HKT)
Peter Bergen says regionwide sectarian strife complicates the Syria picture. The Sunni-Shia split is a key dynamic and a U.S. strike could make it worseSarah Palin's offensive remarks about SyriaSeptember 4, 2013 -- Updated 2136 GMT (0536 HKT)
Dean Obeidallah says Sarah Palin's remarks about the slaughter of Syrians were callous.Congress, support Obama on SyriaSeptember 4, 2013 -- Updated 1837 GMT (0237 HKT)
Anne-Marie Slaughter says a world in which nations can use chemical weapons with impunity is too dangerous.Obama, ignore the polls on SyriaSeptember 4, 2013 -- Updated 1833 GMT (0233 HKT)
David Rothkopf says Americans may not want a Syria strike, but president's job is to protect U.S. interests.Diana Nyad shows baby boomers so 'not over'September 4, 2013 -- Updated 1037 GMT (1837 HKT)
Gene Seymour says Diana Nyad's heroic swim offers more proof that youth is not necessarily the prime time in the life of a boomer -- or anyone else.
.cnn_strycrcntrnwsp .cnn_mtpmore { padding:10px 0px 1px 0px; }.cnn_stryccnwsp2 .cnn_stryccnwsp3 { width:100% }Most PopularToday's five most popular storiesSyria Islamist rebels take control of historic Christian town of Maaloula107-year-old man killed in police shootout in Arkansas, authorities say First on CNN: Videos show glimpse into evidence for Syria intervention2 men bitten by sharks off Florida coastTokyo to host 2020 Olympic Games var cnn_oburlStr = location.pathname + '';cnn_oburlStr = (cnn_oburlStr.indexOf('?') > -1) ? cnn_oburlStr.substr(0, cnn_oburlStr.indexOf('?')) : cnn_oburlStr;var OB_permalink= 'http://edition.cnn.com' + cnn_oburlStr;var OB_Template="cnnedition";var OB_widgetId= 'VR_1';var OB_langJS ='http://widgets.outbrain.com/lang_en.js';var OB_MarkUP = '';document.write(OB_MarkUP);if ( typeof(OB_Script)!='undefined' ) {OutbrainStart();} else {var OB_Script = true;var str = "var cnn_oburlStr = location.pathname + '';cnn_oburlStr = (cnn_oburlStr.indexOf('?') > -1) ? cnn_oburlStr.substr(0, cnn_oburlStr.indexOf('?')) : cnn_oburlStr;var OB_permalink= 'http://edition.cnn.com' + cnn_oburlStr;var OB_Template="cnnedition";var OB_widgetId= 'SB_1';var OB_langJS ='http://widgets.outbrain.com/lang_en.js';var OB_MarkUP = '';document.write(OB_MarkUP);if ( typeof(OB_Script)!='undefined' ) {OutbrainStart();} else {var OB_Script = true;var str = "var OB_Template="cnnedition";var OB_widgetId= 'SB_2';var OB_langJS ='http://widgets.outbrain.com/lang_en.js';var OB_MarkUP = '';document.write(OB_MarkUP);if ( typeof(OB_Script)!='undefined' ) {OutbrainStart();} else {var OB_Script = true;var str = ".OB_SB_1, .OB_SB_2 { padding:0px; }#outbrain_container_1_stripBox .strip-like, #outbrain_container_2_stripBox .strip-like { font-size:18px; }#ob_strip_container_rel_1_stripBox { }#ob_strip_container_rel_1_stripBox .item-container, #ob_strip_container_rel_2_stripBox .item-container { padding-top:8px;border-top:1px solid #E5E5E5; }.ob_box_cont ul li { display:block; height:60px; list-style-type:none; padding-top:8px; padding-bottom:7px; position:relative; width:100%; border-top:1px solid #E5E5E5}.ob_box_cont ul li .ob-rec-link-img {float:left;}.ob_box_cont ul li .ob-rec-link-img a {display: block; float: left; height: 50px; padding: 3px; position: relative; width: 90px;}.ob_box_cont ul li .ob-text-content {padding-left:105px;}.ob_box_cont ul li .ob-text-content a {font:bold 12px/15px arial !important;}.ob_box_cont ul li .ob-rec-link-img a .ob_video {position:absolute; top:5px; left:5px;}cnnad_createAd("808483","http://ads.cnn.com/html.ng/site=cnn_international&cnn_intl_pagetype=mmst&cnn_intl_position=300x150_rgt&cnn_intl_rollup=opinion&page.allowcompete=no¶ms.styles=fs","150","300");cnnad_registerSpace(808483,300,150);cnnad_createAd("743523","http://ads.cnn.com/html.ng/site=cnn_international&cnn_intl_pagetype=mmst&cnn_intl_position=336x280_adlinks&cnn_intl_rollup=opinion&page.allowcompete=no¶ms.styles=fs","280","336");cnnad_registerSpace(743523,336,280); Loading weather data ...
Home | Video | World | U.S. | Africa | Asia | Europe | Latin America | Middle East | Business | World Sport | Entertainment | Tech | Travel | iReport Tools & Widgets | RSS | Podcasts | Blogs | CNN Mobile | My Profile | E-mail Alerts | CNN Shop | Site map | CNN Partner Hotels CNN en ESPAÑOL | CNN Chile | CNN México | ??????? | ??? | Türkçe 
© 2013 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of service | Privacy guidelines | Ad choices
| Advertise with us | License our content | About us | Contact us | Work for us | Help CNN TV | HLN | Transcripts cnnad_ugsync(); var cnn_edtnswtchver="edition"; msQueueManager.init('requestFrame',ms_blankURL); if(ms_isLoggedIn()){ CNN_setCookie('CNN_member',true,854400,'/',document.domain); } var jsmd=_jsmd.init(),pageURL=location.href.toLowerCase();if (pageURL.indexOf("/.element/ssi/ads.iframes/")==-1&&pageURL.indexOf("/doubleclick/dartiframe.html")==-1&&pageURL.indexOf("/search/")==-1){if (_jsmd.plugin.gQuery("refresh")){jsmd.trackMetrics("dynamic-autoRefresh","autorefresh","cnn-autorefresh");} else if (_jsmd.plugin.gQuery("is_LR")){} else if (cnn_metadata.template_type_content!="gallery"){jsmd.send();}}/*globals CNN_CB, cnnsocial, cnnzite_mod, sectionName *//* configure apis to load and specify their callbacks */cnnsocial.setapiconfig([{'site' : 'facebook','success' : function() {/* trigger connect-cnnsocial.js calls */window.cnn_fbAsyncInit();}},{ 'site' : 'twitter' }]);/* add the multiple config instance for sharebars */cnnsocial.share.setconfig(cnn_shareconfig);$j(document).ready(function () {'use strict';loadChartbeat("opinion", "Mark Coleman, Special to CNN");CNN.initFlipperTicker();/* initialize cnnsocial */cnnsocial.init();});
No comments:
Post a Comment