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Sony has announced today that production of the cassette-based Walkman, the original portable music player (sorry NYC, boomboxes on the shoulder in the subway doesn’t really count) will cease production after a run that began in 1979.

Having portable music players providing the soundtrack to our lives seems commonplace new, with mp3 players, phones, and wireless internet providing streaming technology. As one who was born in 1981, the walkman was an undeniable part of my youth. Some of my earliest memories are sitting at family functions, riding in cars, being at dinner with my headphones on. For those who care for really mundane details, the first tapes I remember listening to repeatedly were Prince – Purple Rain and Aerosmith – Permanent Vacation. Going back and realizing what the lyrical content of these are some 25 years later is somewhat frightening.

Much thanks to Sony for creating what is undeniably a revolution that still is permeating people’s lives today, thanks to all the musicians and music labels that put things out on tape so that I could become an avid listener of music at an early age, and most of all thanks to my parents/older brother for providing me with a Walkman and a steady collection of music from a young age; it has undeniably helped shape who I am now, and helped form an intense appreciation for myriad forms of music.

Sony Ceases Cassette Walkman Production [via HuffingtonPost]

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