The 8-track tape (formally Stereo 8; commonly called eight-track cartridge, eight-track tape, and eight-track) is a magnetic-tape sound recording technology that was popular from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s, when the compact cassette tape, which pre-dated the 8-track system, surpassed it in popularity for pre- ...

Why is an 8-track called an 8-track?

By the mid-1960s, many American automakers offered an 8-track player as an option. ... They are called 8-track tapes because each of the four programs is comprised of two tracks playing simultaneously to provide stereo sound.

What is the meaning of 8-track tape?

An 8-track tape is a hard plastic cartridge about the size of an external modem that houses a continuous loop of non-digital (analog) audio data stored on magnetic tape. ... Today, the adjective "8-track" is synonymous with "quickly obsolete".