Magnetic tape

Magnetic tape revolutionized sound recording and reproduction and broadcasting. It allowed radio, which had always been broadcast live, to be recorded for later or repeated airing. It allowed gramophone records to be recorded in multiple parts, which were then mixed and edited with tolerable loss in quality. It was a key technology in early computer development, allowing unparalleled amounts of data to be mechanically created, stored for long periods, and rapidly accessed.

In recent decades, other technologies have been developed that can perform the functions of magnetic tape. In many cases, these technologies have replaced tape. Despite this, innovation in the technology continues, and Sony and IBM continue to produce new magnetic tape drives. Linear Tape-Open is a magnetic tape-based medium used in computer systems for data backup, since it provides large capacities at a low cost, and works differently than common hard drives or solid-state drives, reducing the chance of it failing due to similar reasons.