For many years now most cars have come equipped with a basic car radio. Times move on and the demand for better in-car entertainment has increased at a phenomenal rate.
Way back in the 70’s a car radio was the latest must have item. Invariably it was not automatically put in cars by the manufacturer, you either had to pay them extra or buy a stand alone car radio. Usually the car radio came with just one speaker, sometimes two. It would be screwed under the dashboard of your car. A far cry from today’s music systems!
As the way we listened to music progressed so did the car audio system. Large tape machines were replaced with cassette players. In-car radios were followed by radio cassettes. These remained for many years until the advent of the compact disc. The new technology surrounding compact discs was groundbreaking. There was a lot of debate over the quality of sound with ‘old school’ music lovers still preferring vinyl. Even so, it was acknowledged that the way we listen to music would change forever. Our music albums had become far more portable. You could listen to a CD with a Walkman. But even better, you could take your music with you in your car. Car CD players became very popular. Car manufacturers were putting them in cars. Car audio became big business. Not only did the businessman want to relax to his favourite music in his BMW but every youngster with a Fiesta wanted to pound out their favourite music.
The image of the young driver with the modified car, neon lights and R&B music pounding out of their car is one that we have all seen. Indeed, they want to be seen! Gathering in car parks in our towns, boots open, showing off their sub woofers, they are proud of their sound systems. Often the audio systems are worth more than the cars!
And so, the way we listen to music continues to move on. MP3 players bring us quality listening through a machine that is no larger than a credit card. Of course, car audio accommodates MP3 as well as USB (music transferred from your collection on your PC).We can store more music than ever before using our PC’s. It is not unusual for an individual to have thousands of tracks at their disposal.
Listening to music has always been a popular pastime, ever since we all gathered around a piano. It is no surprise then that we still all gather round to listen to music. Our enjoyment of listening to music hasn’t changed but the way we do it has evolved beyond our imagination.