How Many Music Playback Formats Have There Been?

February 7, 2016 Alan Cross 0 Comments 0 min read

And how many have you used? A quick inventory of my music collection says that I’ve used (or at least possess) music in the following formats:

Wax cylinders
78s (both Berliner and Edison-style discs)
LPs
12-inch singles
EPs (Both 33 1/3 and 45 varieties)
45 RPM singles
Cassettes
DAT
MiniDisc
Reel-to-reel
8-track
Compact discs (5-inch and 3-inch varieties)
DVD-Audio
HD-Audio

And that’s just the physical formats. If I look back through all the digital detritus on my hard drives, I have the following digital formats, not all of which can be played back anymore.

WAV
MP3
WMA
M4a
M4p
FLAC
OGG-Vorbis
AIFF

What formats have you used in your lifetime? Try this article at CNET for more thought-starters. (Via Tom)

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

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