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Never Went Down | ||
| Before you think about counting out cassette decks, take a look at how the format is staying alive. | |||
| by Richard Clark | |||
| Have you ever watched one of those cheesy Friday the 13th movies? At the end of every one of them, you finally think that Jason fellow is dead. But in the next movie, guess what? He's back! Some things just never seem to give up. Sometimes technologies are the same way. If a product gives exceptional value and performance, they usually sell well. If given enough time, a product can capture quite a customer base. On top of this, some products with unique attributes can really exhibit some staying power. The cassette tape is one of these technologies. Even at the close of the millennium, when it was predicted that cassettes would be ancient history, lots of new cars still have cassettes in them as they leave the showroom floor. The real surprise in all of this is that most of those cars are also equipped with the cassette's replacement as well. Yes, it's true that many cars today are equipped with combo cassette/CD players. Seldom are new technologies packaged with the products they are intended to replace. In fact, this almost never happens. There's only one other time I can think of where this happened. At first, everyone thought that FM would replace AM radio. Not so; Today, they each have their place in the market, and they each offer their own unique form of programming. It's pretty hard to find a radio today that doesn't offer both bands. The last time you were in a record store, the shrinking tape display probably left you with the feeling that the tapes were history. Well, nothing could be farther from the truth and industry numbers back it up. As a primary music medium, it's true that tapes have taken a far back seat to the CD. However, sales of pre-recorded tapes have actually stayed on an even keel for the last several years. Just like Jason in the movie sequels, cassettes arise in other places that you may not be expecting. The book-on-tape market and the training tape market are areas where the tape is doing just fine. In fact, the cassette tape has some distinct advantages over the mighty CD. What? A tape better than a cassette? How can that be possible? When was the last time you read a book? By book, I don't mean this fine magazine in your hands. I know you like this magazine so well that once you pick it up you can't set it down until you've read it cover to cover. I mean one of those big, thick books that take days or weeks to get through. Who has time to read books in this fast-paced, modern world? Well, listening to them on the road or while working out is how many people enjoy books. Every convenience store, most grocery stores, and even book stores sell books on tape by the tons. Why not books on CD? Don't think you're the first person that ever thought of that. Almost everyone who listens to books on tape has tried at least one book on CD. Ever pick one of those books up and lose your place? Did you ever forget to fold the page corner down? Did your bookmark ever fall out? I don't know about you, but I find it pretty frustrating and usually waste a lot of time skimming the pages to find my place - cassette tape to the rescue. Nice thing about those simple tapes - they never forget to stop where you quit playing them. Take them to another car, portable, or in the house, and they start up right where you left them every time. Try that with your CD. Sometimes simple is better! Now this is not a sermon on the blessings of tapes. Just a reminder that before you go replacing that tape player in your dad's car with a new CD player, you might want to consider a combo or tape head that controls a changer. And, if the car is yours, then even you someday may need to listen to a few self-help tapes to improve your job performance or get a promotion at work. Just like with AM radio stations, it's probably not quite time to think that Mr. Jason Tape is dead! |
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