Small cassette or music box (MC), also commonly known as cassette or simply referred to as cassette, is an analog tape recording format for audio recording and playback. It was developed by Philips in Hasselt, Belgium, and launched in September 1963. Compact recording comes in two forms, which can contain content as a pre recorded Musicassette or as a fully recordable "blank" recording. Both forms are user reversible.

Compact cartridge technology was originally designed for dictator, but due to the improvement of fidelity, compact cartridge replaced stereo 8-track tape cartridge and disc tape recorder in most non professional applications. It can be used from portable audio to home recording, and then to data storage of early microcomputers. In 1968, the first cassette player (albeit mono) designed for the dashboard of an automobile was introduced. Between the early 1970s and the 1990s, cassette tape was one of the two most common formats for pre recording music, first LP records and later LP records. CD.

The small cartridge consists of two micro spools, which are passed through and wound by a magnetic winding polyester plastic film (tape). These spools and their appurtenances are secured in plastic protective housings with a maximum size of 4 x 2.5 x 0.5 inches (10 cm x 6.3 cm x 1.3 cm). The tape itself is commonly referred to as the "eighth inch" tape, which is said to be 1 ⁄ 8 inch (3.17 mm) wide, but slightly larger: 0.15 inch (3.81 mm). There are two stereo pair tracks (four tracks in total) or two mono audio tracks on the tape; when the tape moves in one direction, play or record one stereo pair or mono track, and when it moves in the other direction, play or record one stereo pair or mono track. When the mechanism detects that the tape has run out, this reversal can be achieved by flipping the cartridge or by reversing the tape movement ("auto reverse").

Although portable digital recorders are the most popular nowadays, analog tape is still the ideal choice for some artists and consumers. Older types like "dansband" may prefer the format their fans are most familiar with. Some musicians and DJs in the independent music community retain the tradition of using and releasing cartridges because of their low cost and ease of use. The underground and DIY communities regularly distribute tape formats, sometimes only in cassettes, especially in experimental music, to some extent out of a fondness for formats, in hardcore punk, death metal and black metal. Even among the major record stars, there is at least one devotee of this form: Thurston Moore claimed in 2009 that "I only listen to tapes.".

In 2010, Diamond Studios, based in Botswana, announced plans to build factories to produce cassettes on a large scale to combat piracy.

In South Korea, the early English education boom for young children has encouraged continued demand for English tapes since 2011 due to affordable costs.

In 2011, the OED removed the word "cassette player" from its concise 12th edition. Some media sources mistakenly claimed that the word "cassette tape" had been deleted, which aroused strong opposition from some media. The term was removed to make room for the addition of more than 400 new words to the dictionary.

In India, films and spiritual music continued to be released in the form of cassettes due to low prices until 2009.

Missouri's national audio company, the largest of the remaining U.S. producers of cassettes, oversees the mass production of "awesome mix 1" cassettes in the 2014 movie "Galactic escort.". 10 million tapes were released in 2014, and sales grew 20% in the second year, the best year since opening in 1969. [53] in 2016, the sales volume of cassettes in the United States increased by 74% to 129000. In 2018, after several years of shortages, national audio began to produce its own tapes, becoming the only new tape inventory manufacturer in the world.

In other countries such as Japan and South Korea, pop singers like Matsuda sperm, shine and NCT 127 have also released their latest work on limited edition cassettes.

In 2016, urban outlets, a long-standing retail chain with Vinyl LP, began to carry a series of new pre recorded cassettes as well as blank cassettes and players, including old and new records.

Many synthesizer artists usually release their albums on the cassette in limited circulation (except for the usual digital download format). Some recordings of this type also include the sound effects of man-made cassettes.

Since 2016, sales of tape cartridges have picked up, with growth in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Free download of audiotape pictures