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1
The first recording devices were scientific instruments used to capture and study sound waves. These devices were capable of recording voices and other sounds long before the phonograph. -
2
However, in Columbia experiments with a new technology developed by the Western Electric Company -
3
The first consumer magnetic recorders also appeared in this period. Inexpensive wire recorders, developed more-or-less independently of the Europeans, were introduced around 1946 and proved to be a short-lived hit. When the first cheap tape recorders appeared, they quickly stole the market. -
4
The 8-track took a large proportion of the music market. Although it was a compromise in terms of sound quality, it required only one hand and minimal accuracy to insert into or remove from the players, which themselves were designed for extreme simplicity of operation. -
5
The combination of digital audio and the Internet create a combustible phenomenon upon the invention of the Moving Picture Experts. -
6
Apple Computer launches the most successful online music store to date. In its first year, Apple sells 70 million songs at $0.99 per song, creating nearly $70 million in legal Internet music sales. Questions remain as to how the new market for legal downloading will affect the sales of physical CDs and whether it will redefine the basic unit of music consumption.
