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The mainstream formats post-78 that I can think of were: LP record (10" then 12") 45 RPM single (7" but also a few 45RPM 10" and 12" thru the years here and there) half-track reel then 2-track reel (actually a niche format as far as numbers sold but highly publicised and promoted) quarter-track reel (7.5IPS and then later on the dreaded 3.75IPS junkola tapes) 4-track cartridge (Muntz and RCA -- were they the same format?) 8-track cartridge (Lear) Compact Cassette (Philips -- definitely a major-label music format by the very late 60's, I have numerous specimens) Compact Disc SACD (could be considered a failed/fringe format, but it does still hang on) Digital downloads (not yet nearly as money-making or even as many units as CD sales, but getting there very fast, about to be THE main consumer format) I wouldn't count fringe/failed formats like Elcaset, DCC and Minidisc (MD failed as a consumer-release format but succeeded for a time as a recording format; Elcaset and DCC just plain failed). DAT was first envisioned as a consumer-release format and there were a few titles released by Sony and I think Philips, but the copyright-protection nonsense killed the format for consumers. For studios and radio, however, it was a successful and long-lived format. If you want to look at video, the only four formats to be considered anything approaching mainstream were: Betamax VHS Laserdisc DVD ----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard L. Hess" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Thursday, December 31, 2009 2:39 PM Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Media Timeline - Historical Assistance Please > Hi, Corey, > > The more I hear, the more I want to keep this to my narrow original concept: Formats for CONSUMER > DELIVERY (mostly of MUSIC though I accept input regarding Old Time Radio, Talking Books, and a > global perspective and I've acceded to pressure to keep the cassette out of the dead zone). > > I don't think there was any significant attempt to sell pre-recorded, commercial (mostly music) > recordings in any of the following formats: > --Recording wires > --Dictabelts > --IBM Executary magnetic belts > --Rim-drive reel machines > --Rim-drive cassette machines > --Microcassettes > --Minicassettes (a subspecies of rim-drive cassettes) > > I am NOT planning on incorporating any of the above. Although their time lines can be of interest > in dating historic artifacts, it's beyond the scope of the present project. It was pointed out to > me that the death of manufacturing of a product/system by no means is an accurate method for > date-ranging of a recording as a frugal field recordist might have stockpiled the fading format > and used it far beyond the official termination date. For example, I have a few NOS DCC tapes > which I guess I could still use for a field recording (if I were deranged and didn't want to use > my file-based digital recorders). > > There are four formats that I'm on the fence about: > --RCA Sound Tape cartridges > --Playtape (thanks, Shai) > --Revere/CBS tape cartridges > --Elcaset > > What I need to understand is the depth (if any) of offerings in pre-recorded tapes for these > formats. I know that at least RCA and CBS issued what amounts to not much more than "sample" > recordings in these formats. I have a bunch of the Revere/CBS cartridges that a client gave me > after I rescued some family stuff off a few, but that doesn't really count because his Dad had > been involved in the marketing of the format. > > I rescued a Sound Tape pre-recorded tape for a friend about eight years ago. It was a Disney or > some other children's story and it had never been reissued in any other format that the friend > could find even mention of--at least not with the same cast. But how broad was the Sound Tape > commercial release? > > I agree with Shai, I do not think there was any significant body of Elcaset commercial releases. I > don't know about Playtape. I keep forgetting about it as a format. Apparently many others did, > too. > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayTape but before you say there's a CBS connection, note that the > entrepreneur Frank Stanton http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Stanton_entrepreneur was not the > same Frank Stanton who was President of CBS http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Stanton > > Maybe I need to put Playtape on the list as here is a catalog of 480 tapes in the format > http://bajasdogs.com/bajas_playtape_catalog.htm > > Cheers, > > Richard > > > > At 01:24 PM 2009-12-31, you wrote: >>Would the Micro-cassette be worth mentioning perhaps as a sub-species? The format is still in >>production. >> >>What about the short lived Elcaset? >> >>http://home.claranet.nl/users/pb0aia/cm/elcaset/index.html >> >> >>Holiday cheers! >> >>Corey >>Corey Bailey Audio Engineering > > Richard L. Hess email: [log in to unmask] > Aurora, Ontario, Canada (905) 713 6733 1-877-TAPE-FIX > Detailed contact information: http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm > Quality tape transfers -- even from hard-to-play tapes.