Sony’s earliest cassette tapes, called “Magazine Tape.” Normal Position.
First generation, 1966
60 minutes - ¥700.
Sony’s first cassette model. Its distinctive feature is a shell in two different colors: white on side A and black on side B. The labels use black and white in the opposite arrangement to the shell. In Sony’s own “AB” mark at the upper left of the label, only the “A” was raised, allowing it to be identified by touch. The plastic case worked by placing the cassette on a black tray and sliding it into the transparent section.
Explanatory Note
Sony’s ties to the cassette run deep. Sony is said to have played the leading role in prompting Philips, the Dutch company that developed the cassette, to make its manufacturing license royalty-free. That decision led to the cassette’s subsequent success. Japanese manufacturers began producing cassettes in 1966, and production of this model began in the same year. Sony initially called cassette tapes “Magazine Tape” and the recorders “Magazine Matic.”
The early products had an elaborate construction using differently colored shell parts: white on side A and black on side B. From around 1969, the products adopted the “Auto-Sensor” specification, compatible with the company’s cassette recorders equipped with a tape-end alarm mechanism. Aluminum foil was attached to the leader tape. When this section completed an electrical circuit through a sensing pole in the recorder, it detected the end of the tape. This was used to sound a buzzer at the end of the tape during recording.
Second generation, around 1968
60 minutes - ¥700 / 90 minutes - ¥1000.
This model adopted the familiar early Sony cassette packaging design: the left half was black and the right half was colored according to recording time. The 60-minute version was red and the 90-minute version green. The cardboard box opened along its long edge. Cassettes in cardboard boxes were cheaper than those in plastic cases and were positioned as an economy option.
Third generation, 1969
60 minutes - ¥700 / 90 minutes - ¥1000.
Cardboard box: 30 minutes - ¥330 / 60 minutes - ¥525 / 90 minutes - ¥825. Prices were revised later.
This model had sensing foil attached to the leader tape for Auto-Sensor operation. Apart from the addition of “AUTO SENSOR,” the packaging hardly changed. Around 1970, however, the cassette’s two-color black-and-white shell was replaced by a smoky transparent shell on both sides, and the construction changed from screws to adhesive. A 30-minute version was newly added to the range.