The History of Tape Recorders

The tape recorder was first introduced by Alexander Graham Bell in 1886. In 1898, Valdemar Poulsen invented the more modern magnetic recorder, which would become the predecessor for many more advanced designs that paved the way for modern digital recordings. But even though the magnetic recorder was introduced in 1898, it wasn’t until the 1940s that it began to have an influence on the recording industry. In 1947, singer and actor Bing Crosby was tired of having to perform every radio show live and lobbied NBC to let him try recording. The recorded show was a huge success, and tape recorders became extremely popular and important tools in the recording industry for years to come.