Influence of Multi-track recording from 1950s

1979 - First album captured using a digital recorder released! 1954 Introduction of the transistor radio
Previous radios were large and cumbersome because they used vacuum tubes, but the use of transistors made the technology more portable

1982 Sony and philips introduce the CD Player

1979 Walkman portable cassette player

Sony introduces the Walkman portable cassette player

1988-2001
CD sales exceed LP sales for the first time (1988) Moving Picture Experts group (MPEG) standardise the compression format to be known as MP3 (1992) Apple release the IPOD (2001) Apple release the IPOD

1956 First 8 track tape recorder used

Les paul uses the first 8-track tape recorder to create multi-track recordings (Although 4-track tape recorders were in common use through the 1960s

1968 16 track tape recorder introduced!

1958 First Stereo LPS available

The first stereo LPs available to the general public

1962 Compact Cassette

Phillips introduce the compact cassette (mass production began in 1964)

2009 Legal Digital Downloads

Legal digital downloads became widely available with the debut of the iTunes store