Animated chart of the rise and fall of music formats

[Rudy]

The chart is fascinating to follow...

Animated Chart: The Rise and Fall of Music Sales, by Format (1973-2021)

50 years in music has seen consumption change from vinyl and cassettes to CDs and streaming. This video highlights sales of music formats over time.

www.visualcapitalist.com

Streaming of course is the top music consumption format today. Which is disturbing for the state of the artists, since they receive a pittance for plays on streaming, as opposed to direct sales of their music through other formats (which today are downloads and vinyl, which is why I purchase recordings that I like and/or where I want to help support the artist).

Although the chart isn't adjusted for inflation (which IMHO skews the data substantially--a dollar in 1973 was worth $6.10 in 2021, the final year in the chart), it is still interesting to see the rise and fall of formats over the years.

Long live the 8-Track?

 

[AM Matt]

8 tracks ended around 1982 & 1983.

 

[tomswift2002]

8 tracks ended around 1982 & 1983.

8 tracks were still being released into the late-80’s, like 1988-89. I have a factory released copy of the Carpenters 1985 Yesterday Once More on two 8-tracks.

 

[Rudy]

8-tracks actually held on for a long time due to the trucking industry. Many of the older 18-wheelers still had 8-track players, and for a while the tapes were available in truck stops.

 

[AM Matt]

I could really felt the "farting" of the AMPEX stereo 8 track tape sound back then!! (laughs) Saw a collection of AMPEX 8 tracks when I was at the Service Plaza Howard Johnson's at the Ohio Turnpike in April of 1975!!

 

[Mike Blakesley]

The other thing that kept 8-tracks going for a while was record clubs. They had a lot of those "buy 20 titles over the next three years" agreements to fulfill, I guess.

I wish I could remember the earliest titles of cassettes we carried. The oldest one I myself can remember owning is Herb Alpert's BEYOND, but I have no idea if we carried other Herb titles before that one. I didn't buy too many cassette titles for myself -- I'd record LPs onto cassette for car listening. I probably never owned more than maybe 10 titles on cassette, if that.