Stereo 8, commonly known as the 8-track cartridge, 8-track tape, or 8-track, is a magnetic tape sound recording technology, popular from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s. Stereo 8 was created in 1964 by a consortium led by Bill Lear of Lear Jet Corporation, along with Ampex, Ford, Motorola and RCA Victor Records. It was a further development of the similar Stereo-Pak 4-track cartridge created by Earl "Madman" Muntz. A later quadraphonic version of the format was known as Quad 8 or Q8.
The popularity of both 4-track and 8-track cartridges grew from the booming automobile industry. In September 1965, Ford Motor Company introduced dealer-installed 8-track players as an option on most models and RCA Victor introduced 50 Stereo-8 Cartridges of pre-recorded music from their label of artists.[1] By 1966, all of their vehicles offered this upgrade. Thanks to Ford's backing, the 8-track format quickly won out over the 4-track format, with Muntz abandoning it completely by late 1970.
Despite its problems, the format gained steady popularity due to its convenience and portability. Home players were introduced in 1966 that allowed consumers to share tapes between their home and portable systems. "Boombox" type players were also popular. With the availability of cartridge systems for the home, consumers started thinking of 8-tracks as a viable alternative to vinyl records, not only as a convenience for the car. Within a year, prerecorded releases on 8-track began to arrive within a month of the vinyl release. 8-track recorders had gained popularity by the early 1970s.
Quadraphonic 8-track cartridges (introduced by RCA Records in September 1970 and first known as Quad 8, and later just Q8) were also produced, with the major auto manufacturers being particularly eager to promote in-car quadraphonic players as a pricey option. The format enjoyed a moderate amount of success for a time but faded in the mid-1970s. These cartridges are prized by collectors since they provide four channels of discrete sound, unlike matrixed formats such as SQ. Most quadraphonic albums were specially mixed for the quad format.
There are a number of reasons for the format's decline. While the Compact Cassette offered features that the 8-track lacked, such as smaller size and rewinding capability, its tape speed was half that of Stereo 8, producing theoretically lower sound quality; however, constant development of the cassette turned it into a widespread high-fidelity medium. Another factor was the cost of blank tapes and recorders, where cassette systems tended to be cheaper. There was also a sustained effort by record companies to reduce the number of different formats offered in the late 1970s, and when sales of 8-tracks slipped, they were quick to abandon the format.
Wikipedia contributors. Stereo 8. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. November 23, 2008, 00:01 UTC. Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stereo_8&oldid=253492094. Accessed December 6, 2008.
