Back 8-Spur-Kassette German Cartucho de 8 pistas Spanish 8-raita Finnish Cartouche audio French קלטת שמונה רצועות HE Stereo8 Italian 8トラック Japanese 8 sporencassette Dutch Cartucho (áudio) Portuguese Stereo 8 Russian
 The inside of a cartridge. The black rubber pinch roller is at upper right. | |
| Media type | Magnetic tape cartridge endless loop |
|---|---|
| Encoding | Stereo analog signal |
| Capacity | Four stereo channels |
| Read mechanism | Tape head |
| Write mechanism | Magnetic recording head |
| Developed by | Lear Industries |
| Usage | Audio storage |
| Extended from | Fidelipac / Mohawk cartridge[1] |
The 8-track tape (formally Stereo 8; commonly called eight-track cartridge, eight-track tape, and eight-track) is a magnetic-tape sound recording technology that was popular[2] from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s, when the compact cassette, which pre-dated the 8-track system, surpassed it in popularity for pre-recorded music.[3][4][5]
The format was commonly used in cars and was most popular in the United States and Canada and, to a lesser extent, in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Japan.[3][4][6] One advantage of the 8-track tape cartridge was that it could play continuously in an endless loop, and did not have to be ejected, turned around and reinserted to play the entire tape. After about 80 minutes of playing time, the tape would start again at the beginning. Because of the loop, there is no rewind. The only options the consumer has are play, fast forward, record, and program (track) change.[7]
The Stereo 8 Cartridge was created in 1964 by a consortium led by Bill Lear, of Lear Jet Corporation,[8] along with Ampex, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Motorola, and RCA Victor Records (RCA - Radio Corporation of America).
The 8-track tape format is now considered obsolete, although there are collectors who refurbish these tapes and players as well as some bands that issue these tapes as a novelty. Cheap Trick's The Latest in 2009 was issued on 8-track, as was Dolly Parton's A Holly Dolly Christmas in 2020, the latter with an exclusive bonus track. Little Lost Girl Media from Oregon is currently still making 8-tracks and runs a mostly 8-track punk rock n roll record label. There are about 5 small independent record labels that manufacture 8-track cartridges currently.
- ^ TelePro Cartridge Patent Fails, Billboard vol. 79, No. 27, 8 July 1967 p. 3
- ^ "What Are 8-Track Tapes?". wisegeek.com. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
While immensely popular in the United States for a period of time ...
- ^ a b "Collector's Corner: The History of the Eight-Track Tape". 23 December 2005. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
Just as the signs were all pointing to eight-track toppling vinyl as the format of choice for music lovers in the United States, Canada and to a lesser extent, in Great Britain, along came the audio cassette
- ^ a b "What Are 8-Track Tapes?". Retrieved 22 January 2014.
Outside of the United Kingdom, Canada, and a few other nations, the use of 8-track technology was virtually unknown.
- ^ "Eight-Track Tapes | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
- ^ "8-Tracking Around the World". www.8trackheaven.com.
- ^ "Car Cartridges Come Home", pp.18-22, HiFi / Stereo Review's Tape Recorder Annual 1968, retrieved May 22, 2023. (Detailed comparative diagrams of a Fidelipac cartridge on p.20, with comparison to Lear Jet 8-track cartridge and Phillips cassette diagrams on p.21.)
- ^ Wilford, John Noble (4 April 1971). "Bill Lear Thinks He'll Have the Last Laugh". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 29 September 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2017.