Dig out your Walkman and pop in that old R.E.M. cassette you’ve been reluctant to get rid of. Do it in honor of the great LOU OTTENS . . . the Dutch engineer who invented the cassette tape.
Lou passed away on Saturday. He was 94.
The cassette made its debut at a 1963 electronics fair with the slogan, “Smaller than a pack of cigarettes!
It was actually created for making sound recordings outside, because it was much more portable than reel-to-reel machines. But once they realized the quality was good enough for music listening, they started putting albums on them.
Over 100 billion were sold worldwide.
Ottens then went on to help develop the compact disc.
R.I.P. Lou Ottens: The Dutch engineer who created the technology behind cassette tapes and compact discs has died at age 94. https://t.co/xzHZ0L6AB9 pic.twitter.com/qdvS0pkxfp
— Consequence of Sound (@consequence) March 10, 2021
Originally posted on March 11th, 2021
