The History of Music Recording

Do you ever wonder what music was like before iPods and Mp3 players? For starters, audio devices weren’t as compact as they are now and you couldn’t download music with the click of a button. Here is a brief history of recording that will explain just how far we’ve come in the world of music!

The Record Player: 1920s

Recording technology started out with an acoustic horn instead of electric motors or amplifiers. The earlier record players relied on acoustic horns. However, as home radios became more popular the  record player evolved. People started purchasing the record player that had electric motors or amplifiers for better sound.

The Tape Recorder: 1940s-1950s

Tape recording brought a more convenient and inexpensive option to the music recording industry.  It allowed producers to alter the music. For example, they were able to cut sounds out, rearrange sounds, compile recordings, mix sounds and fade sound in or out. Before these features musicians either had to record their song perfectly or they had to remake the entire recording.

Stereo Sound: 1950s-1960s

Stereo sound included two microphones, two amplifiers and two loudspeakers.  The first stereo sound recordings were available on reel-to-reel tape.

The Cassette: 1960s-1980s

Cassettes ruled the music world for decades. Cassettes were the most popular recording devices for home recording and pre-recording listening applications. The cassette was the first movement toward personal audio.


The CD: 1990s-Present

When the compact audio disc (CD) was first introduced it wasn’t a big hit.  It took almost a decade for the CD to become more popular than the cassette but the CD eventually became the most popular home recording format. Today, iPods and Mp3 players have overtaken the CD.


If music recording had not evolved, we wouldn’t get to hear the great beats or the  music effects as well as we do today. Musicians weren’t able to make a mistake while recording unless they wanted to re-record the whole song!  Today we have the privilege of listening to music whenever and wherever we want to. The best part is, now we can listen to Big Band Music the right way—with ample volume and much appreciation!