Personics: The cassette-based iTunes Store of the 1980s [video]
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Re: Personics: The cassette-based iTunes Store of the 1980s [video]
#2Amazing. Never knew this existed! For the time that was pretty out there. The irony being copying from the new medium CD to the old one cassette, but they probably intended to eventually make CDs and may have been the ultimate “iTunes” had they survived (or probably would have done a deal with Jobs)
Re: Personics: The cassette-based iTunes Store of the 1980s [video]
#3I had my first copy of the Band's Cripple Creek from the Personics at Cutlers in New Haven...
Re: Personics: The cassette-based iTunes Store of the 1980s [video]
#4Loved personics!!! It was a bit expensive but they made great gifts, and were a good way to get singles. Much easier than waiting for the radio then quickly pressing record+play.
Re: Personics: The cassette-based iTunes Store of the 1980s [video]
#5My father made about 6-8 of these “mixes” in his 30s and they became the soundtrack to our family’s lives.
I have such fond memories of driving around listening to these tapes.
The anticipation of the inevitable good time as I opened a case and put the cassette in the stereo led to the cover art making my heart race. Even just looking at the thumb nail of this video gave me flashbacks to the pure joy of a child.
His obsession was Motown and the rhythm and blues of that era and I still love that music and claim it “raised me”.
This company, and my fathers curation, is absolutely responsible for forming me into the person I am today.
The tapes were a complete education of that moment in time in music, and we listened to them on repeat for years.
I sometimes wonder what is lost by the infinite scroll of contemporary streaming services.
When we’d listen my siblings and I would rotate on picking our favorite tunes. My siblings would change it up and pick different tunes from the options each time their turn came around, but, much to the frustration of everyone else in the car, at the age of 6 I only ever wanted to hear one song: “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass.
Still one of my all time favorite songs.
Re: Personics: The cassette-based iTunes Store of the 1980s [video]
#6Personics' VP of Engineering left a comment on the video:
Re: Personics: The cassette-based iTunes Store of the 1980s [video]
#7What a trip. That must have been what I remember ... I think it was on a trip to Los Angeles and I saw this thing in a mall. I remember one of the songs (that I put on my cassette) was a cover of "Cry Baby Cry" by Richard Barone (of the Bongos) which was such an odd and random thing.
I wish I still had the cassette.
Re: Personics: The cassette-based iTunes Store of the 1980s [video]
#8Three other things from the 1980s were why so many stereos sold to teens had two cassette decks:
1. Copying album tapes from friends.
2. Make a mix tape for someone, curated from many albums. Especially for a romantic interest. I don't know whether there's a modern analogue of this, but it could be meaningful.
3. Record the radio, and assemble songs you like onto a low-audio-quality tape for yourself.
(It was a bit different than modern perfect-copy piracy, since your copy was never as good as you could get by buying an album on tape, and then on CD.)
Re: Personics: The cassette-based iTunes Store of the 1980s [video]
#9[flagged]
Re: Personics: The cassette-based iTunes Store of the 1980s [video]
#10Three other things from the 1980s were why so many stereos sold to teens had two cassette decks: 1. Copying album tapes from friends. 2. Make a mix tape for someone, curated from many albums. Especially for a romantic interest. I don't know whether there's a modern analogue of this, but it could be meaningful. 3. Record the radio, and assemble songs you like onto a low-audio-quality tape for yourself. (It was a bit d…
> I don't know whether there's a modern analogue of this, but it could be meaningful.
I see something along the lines of "lets make spotify playlists for each other" on dating profiles semi-regularly. Don't know how often people actually act on it.