Reel-to-reel Audio Tape Recording - Pre-recorded Reel Tapes

Pre-recorded Reel Tapes

The first prerecorded reel-to-reel tapes were introduced by RCA Victor in 1954. The heyday of prerecorded reel tapes was the mid-1960s, but after the introduction of less complicated cassette tapes and 8-track tapes, the number of albums released on prerecorded reel tape dropped dramatically despite their superior sound quality. By the latter 1960s, their retail prices were considerably higher than competing formats, and musical genres were limited—classical, soundtracks, original cast albums, major pop stars—to those most likely to appeal to audiophiles willing to contend with the cumbersome threading of open-reel tape. The introduction of the Dolby noise-reduction system narrowed the performance gap between cassettes and open-reel, and by 1973 the prerecorded open-reel offerings had almost completely disappeared, even from record stores and audio equipment shops. Columbia House advertisements in 1978 showed that 1/3 of new titles were available through their service on reel to reel. Sales were very low and specialized during the 1980s. Columbia House continued to offer a select number of new releases in the format for its club members until 1984. All of the known pre-recorded reel-to-reels on the market are all documented at the Reel To Reel Index Website which focuses on the last reels made during the 1980s including photographs of all of them.