20 Forgotten Music Formats That Pre-Date Streaming
These old-school music formats paved the way for the streaming era, but most have been lost to time.
- Daisy Montero
- 6 min read
Before streaming, people listened to music in ways that might seem strange today. Some formats were popular for years, while others quickly faded away. Many were replaced by something easier to use or better in quality. Looking at these forgotten formats shows how much music has changed and why some still hold a special place in music history.
1. Phonograph Cylinder
Infrogmation of New Orleans on Wikimedia Commons
The phonograph cylinder, introduced in the late 19th century, was the first practical way to record and playback sound. It used a rotating wax cylinder to store audio, but its fragile nature and limited playback time made it obsolete. Discs quickly took over, leaving phonograph cylinders as rare collector’s items.
2. Shellac 78 RPM Records
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Before vinyl, 78 RPM records made of shellac were the industry standard for music playback. They were brittle and heavy and could only hold a few minutes of audio per side. Vinyl records eventually replaced them, offering better sound quality and durability.
3. Wire Recording
Recording Wires on the Surface
Wire recording used thin steel wire to store sound and was used primarily in the 1940s for voice recordings. While it had decent durability, its poor sound quality and the rise of magnetic tape made it a forgotten relic. Today, wire recorders are mostly found in museums and private collections.
4. Acetate Discs
Somethingelsedan on Wikimedia Commons
Acetate or lacquer discs were used for temporary recordings and radio broadcasts. They allowed artists and engineers to preview a track before pressing it onto vinyl. Since they degrade quickly, surviving acetate discs are rare and often contain lost recordings.
5. Reel-to-Reel Tape
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Reel-to-reel tape offered high-quality analog sound and was a favorite among audiophiles and recording studios. However, it required large machines and manual threading, making it impractical for everyday listeners. Cassette tapes eventually made tape-based music more accessible.
6. Eight-Track Tape
Leonard Nevarez on Wikimedia Commons
Popular in the 1960s and ’70s, eight-track tapes allowed people to listen to music in their cars. However, their bulky design, tape jamming issues, and inability to rewind led to their downfall. Cassette tapes took over, offering a more convenient and portable option.
7. Flexi Discs
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These ultra-thin, flexible records were often included in magazines and promotional giveaways. While affordable, their low sound quality and short lifespan made them more of a novelty. They are now rare collectibles, sometimes rediscovered in old vinyl sleeves.
8. MiniDisc
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Sony’s MiniDisc was a futuristic format that combined digital sound quality with the portability of cassettes. Despite its durability and ability to skip tracks, it never gained mainstream popularity due to expensive players and the rise of MP3s. By the early 2000s, MiniDiscs quietly faded away.
9. Elcaset
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Sony’s Elcaset was an attempt to combine cassette tape convenience with reel-to-reel quality. Unfortunately, its bulky design and high cost made it a commercial failure. Only a small number of Elcaset players and tapes still exist today.
10. DAT (Digital Audio Tape)
Pittigrilli on Wikimedia Commons
DAT offered CD-quality recordings in a compact tape format, making it popular in professional studios. However, it was too expensive for casual listeners, and CD-Rs soon made home recording easier. DAT machines are now mostly found in archives and specialized studios.
11. PlayTape
Jason Curtis, curator of the Museum of Obsolete Media on Wikimedia Commons
PlayTape was a tiny cassette format designed for portable players in the 1960s. It was smaller than an eight-track but had limited storage, making it less practical for full albums. Compact cassettes quickly took over, leaving PlayTape as a short-lived experiment.
12. Volumetric Vinyl
Miguel Á. Padriñán on Wikimedia Commons
Volumetric vinyl records were a unique attempt to store multiple layers of sound within a single groove. The idea was to play different tracks based on the needle’s placement. The concept never caught on, and standard vinyl remained the go-to format.
13. DCC (Digital Compact Cassette)
Paul Forsdick on Wikimedia Commons
Digital Compact Cassettes were meant to replace analog tapes by offering CD-quality sound in a cassette shell. They could also play regular cassette tapes, but the format was expensive and arrived just as CDs took over. It never found a big audience and was discontinued after a few years.
14. Tefifon
Ferdinando Traversa on Wikimedia Commons
Tefifon was an unusual German music format that used an endless loop of plastic tape inside a cartridge. It was mainly popular in the 1950s but could not compete with vinyl records. Most people have never heard of it, and working players are rare today.
15. Stereo 8 Broadcast
Jakub Zerdzicki on Wikimedia Commons
These were large tape cartridges used by radio stations for high-quality music playback. They looked similar to eight tracks but were built for professional use. As digital music took over, these bulky tapes were phased out.
16. VinylVideo
Evan-Amos on Wikimedia Commons
VinylVideo was a format for storing low-resolution video on a vinyl record. It was more of an art project than a practical technology, but it showed how creative people could be with music formats. The quality was poor, and the idea never became mainstream.
17. RCA Sound Tape Cartridge
Jakub Zerdzicki on Wikimedia Commons
RCA tried to introduce a cassette format in the 1950s, but it was too big and expensive. The design was ahead of its time, but it failed to catch on. Smaller cassette formats eventually took over, making this an early failure in tape history.
18. MP3 CD
Raimond Spekking on Wikimedia Commons
MP3 CDs allowed people to burn hundreds of songs onto a single disc. They were a game-changer for music storage, but they did not last long once digital downloads and streaming became the norm. Today, MP3 CDs are mostly forgotten, sitting in old CD wallets.
19. Super Audio CD (SACD)
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SACD promised higher sound quality than regular CDs but required special players. Most people could not tell the difference in sound, and the format never replaced standard CDs. Audiophiles still collect them, but they never became a household name.
20. HD DVD Audio
CLI on Wikimedia Commons
HD DVD Audio was meant to bring high-definition sound to home systems. It arrived at the same time as Blu-ray, but the format war ended in Blu-ray’s favor. Most people never even knew HD DVD Audio existed before it disappeared.