What it the first thing you remember listening to a song on? For me it is a cassette tape but for others it could be LP’s, 8 tracks. Vinyls, or CD’s. The way music has been distributed over the past thirty-three years has changed dramatically. The infographic below shows the devices that have brought us music and the percentage of their use over the years.

We start with 1980 and continue to 2010. The percentage of LP’s and EP’s in the early 80’s was more than half until the cassette tape became popular in the late eighties and early nineties. Then music started to appear on CD’s and was the major form of music distribution until the mid 2000’s when the digital music age began.

CD’s are still around today and are sold in stores but the most preferred way to listen to music today is via digital downloads or online subscriptions. Most kids today don’t know what a cassette tape is or even a CD. It is amazing to see just how fast technology has changed the way music is distributed. Now when an artist releases an album you can download it instantly instead of having to go to a store to purchase it.

Download this infographic.