The history of pop music in the 20th century is also the history of sound recordings—from vinyl records to music cassettes to compact discs, they changed the possibilities for music consumption within a few decades. This was accompanied by changes in music cultures and practices, which are mostly remembered today by those users for whom these sound recordings were particularly important as youth media. This includes the compact music cassette, which currently seems to be enjoying a small but curious revival. Compared to the wide range of high-resolution digital offerings on digital streaming services, it seems to offer little that justifies listening to it. So why is it back in music and retail stores?
Laura Niebling spoke to dpa about the history of the compact cassette and its cultural and historical development. She talks about research findings on the history of sound recordings from the now completed BMBF project “Music Objects of Popular Culture,” which has also been published in greater detail at www.musikobjekte.de. (external link, opens in a new window)
The dpa interview with Laura Niebling appeared in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, among other publications: Click on this link to read the article in the Süddeutsche Zeitung (external link, opens in a new window).
![[Translate to English:]](/fileadmin/_processed_/5/7/csm_Kassetten_6acb3c3c1f.jpeg)