Dutch engineer Lou Ottens died on March 6 at the age of 94.
In 1963, he invented the audio cassette, paving the way for on-the-go music listening.
Since its inception, 100 billion cassettes have been sold worldwide.
This object, which has become legendary, has revolutionized the world of music.
His name doesn't mean much to us and yet Lou Ottens has turned many lives upside down.
This former Dutch engineer from Philips is the man who invented the audio cassette in 1963. He passed away on March 6, at the age of 94.
The tape has become a mythical object, which had to be put in a walkman while being careful with the tape which could sometimes spin, and which had to be rewound with a pencil.
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Nomadic and cheaper than vinyl
In 1963, this famous magnetic tape cassette revolutionized the world of music.
It is cheaper than vinyl and paves the way for listening to music on the go.
Since its invention in the early 1960s, 100 billion cassettes have been sold worldwide.
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In 1966, the first albums on cassette arrived in the United States.
The first albums on cassette landed in the United States in 1966, with artists like Nina Simone for example.
It is also an important innovation because everyone can record whatever they want on a blank tape and create their own playlist.
But the cassette will eventually give way to CDs which monopolized everything in the 2000s. Before making a small
comeback
in recent years.