FROM THE WORLD OF MUSIC
The 10 most important musical innovations of the last 50 years
compiled a list of
the to p te n inno vatio ns
in music tech over
the last 50 years.

Friedrich Nietzsche once said:
Life without music would be a mistake.

The 10 most important musical innovations of the last 50 years
10.) Panasonic Technics DJ deck 9.) Sonos Multi-Room Music System
In 1969 Panasonic produced direct-drive The king of room-to-room streaming, it is
turntables, like the SP-10 was the first in a easy to set up and provide ample audio
long line of decks that have sold over 3 richness, and it has its own remote control.
million around the world. Music everywhere in the house: domestic
bliss.
Based on their classic design, they
haveremained unchanged to this day.

8.) Ghetto Blaster – Boombox 7.) DAB radio
In 1976, Marantz invented the Boombox, Digital Audio Broadcasting has been in
and changed the face of outdoor music, development since 1981, sending radio
the 80s, hip hop and urban culture. signals digitally found to UK homes in 1999.
The sound clarity, and the ability to record
Heavy and chunky, the included a tape and pause live radio makes DAB seem a
deck and AM/FM tuner, with good sound million miles from old AM/FM radio sets.
quality and plent of connections for
hooking up to bigger set ups.

6.) Dolby 5.) Napster
Dolby introduced Multi-channel sound The most famous illegal file-sharing
with the Star Wars film, and since then P2P service opened 1999. Since then it
has become the benchmark name for has become legit.
cinema quality audio. Dolby has invented
many technologies like noise reduction in Some say that that Napster paved the
the mid 1960s, used in tape and cassette way for legal services such as the
recorders. iTunes. But the music industry still has
unsolved problems.

4.) CD
Compared to the audio cassettes, CDs were cheap to make, provided excellent sound
quality, could fit more songs, and allowed for track skipping, programming,etc.
And they could be played on a computer too.
Which meant easy to make your own compilations CDs, like you did with cassettes,
only, much better quality. A total success story. There is no reason why CDs should be
discontinued, ever!

3.) Apple iPod 1st Generation
In 2001, Apple introduces the original 5GB iPod .It was easy to use, simple in design,
very sexy, pocketable-small and it worked flawlessly.
Coupled with the iTunes music storage and download program, iPod took over the world
in a similar way to the original Sony Walkman. The iPod Touch continued the legend.

2. The mp3 format
Full name: Moving Picture Experts Group-1 Audio Layer 3.
MP3 compresses music data into a small digital file (up to 10%) without losing too much of
the sound quality.
The format went public in 1994, and coincided with the boom in online file sharing.
It's now the standard on the internet and for portable devices like Digital Audio Players
even adopting the general name of "MP3 Players".

1.) Sony Walkman
Released in the UK as the Stowaway, the personal cassette player market
boomed throughout the 80s. Every tech company produced a rival to Sony's baby,
but the general formula remained largely.
It changed the way we access music, how often we could do so and and changed
a generation. It also paved the way to future develpments in portable audio
players and generated the concept of the personal juke-boxcompilation.

A different Story
Top 10 'inventions' that changed the world
Scientists, from the British Science Association,
have drawn up a list of the top 10 things
that have changed the world.
And you know what:
The Sony Walkman come
in second place.
2. The Sony Walkman
In 1979 Sony spawned the era of wearable
technology with its iconic personal stereo.
It enabled music fans to listen to their
music while on the move without inflicting THE FULL LIST
1. GPS Technology
their choices on those around them. It
2. The Sony Walkman
provided the soundtrack to millions of 3. The Bar code
morning commutes. 4. TV Dinners
The Walkman quickly changed listening 5. PlayStation
habits and became hugely popular as 6. Social Networking
jogging culture took the 1980s by storm – 7. Text messages
here was something that allowed you to 8. Electronic Money
9. Microwaves
listen to your music while you worked out.
10. Trainers

Without a shadow of a doubt, Sony’s portable music box altered the way we think about
and enjoy music forever, and such an achievement has got us thinking about all the other
innovations in music that should be celebrated and revered with just as much gusto.

Original blank
cassettes from the
late 1980s and early
1990s are now
fetching up to £22.50
each on internet
auction sites
Rewind to the 1980s as the cassette tape makes a comeback
Audio cassettes, which were cast aside in the digital revolution by the
arrival of Compact Discs and internet downloads, are making a comeback.