Mixtape

A mixtape (also mix-tape or mix tape) is a home-made compilation of music (typically copyrighted songs taken from other sources) recorded in a specific order, traditionally onto a cassette tape, though later replaced by CD or MP3 playlist formats. The songs can be sequential, or by beatmatching the songs and creating overlaps and fades between the end of one song and the beginning of another the tape may become a seamless whole. Compilations may include a selection of favorite songs, or music linked by theme or mood, perhaps tailored to the tape's intended recipient.

Writing in 2004, essayist Geoffrey O'Brien called the personal mix tape "perhaps the most widely practiced American art form".

"Mixtape" is also used in hip hop to describe certain types of recordings, typically self-produced and independently released albums that are issued free of charge to gain publicity and/or circumvent possible copyright infringement.

Homemade mix tapes became common in the 1980s. Although the compact audio cassette by Philips appeared at the 1963 Berlin Radio Show, the sound quality of cassettes was not good enough to be seriously considered for music recording until further advances in tape formulations, including the advent of chrome and metal tape. Before the introduction of the audio cassette, the creation of a pop music compilation required specialized or cumbersome equipment, such as a reel-to-reel or 8 track recorder, that was often inaccessible to the casual music fan. As cassette tapes and recorders grew in popularity and portability, these technological hurdles were lowered to the point where the only resources required to create a mix were a handful of cassettes and a cassette recorder connected to a source of pre-recorded music, such as a radio or LP player. The 8-track tape cartridge was more popular for music recording during much of the 1960s, as the cassette was originally only mono and intended for vocal recordings only, such as in office dictation machines. But improvements in fidelity finally allowed the cassette to become a major player. The ready availability of the cassette and higher quality home recording decks to serve the casual home user allowed the cassette to become the dominant tape format, to the point that the 8 track tape nearly disappeared shortly after the turn of the 1980s. The growth of the mixtape was also encouraged by improved quality and increased popularity of audio cassette players in car entertainment systems, and by the introduction of the Sony Walkman in 1979.

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