Cassette single
This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2011) |
Compact Cassette | |
Dimensions | 103 × 64 × 12 mm |
---|---|
Usage | Audio playback |
Released | 1980 |
A cassette single (CS), also known by the trademark cassingle, or capitalised as the trademark Cassette Single, is a music
History
The debut single "
Initially, the cassette single was supplied containing two or three versions of the primary single, sometimes also together with a B-side song. Typically, between 4 and 20 minutes of music were available on the early cassette singles,[3] though later offerings would be available with five or six different versions of songs.
The British independent record label ZTT Records made good use of the cassette single format by 1984, with singles by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Art of Noise and Propaganda being issued in unique versions on compact cassette.
American record companies began releasing cassette singles on a large scale in 1987, when
The cassette single format was used as a promotion in the 1990s, with The Walt Disney Company giving a "cassingle" to attendees of Hercules promotional events.[1]
Packaging
Originally, most cassette singles were released in a thick paper sleeve that slipped over the outside of the cassette, called an O case or an O-card. This was then usually shrink wrapped in cellophane plastic. Some singles contained one song on each side, much as 7-inch 45-rpm records had done, but others repeated the songs on both sides. In some markets, cassette singles generally used the same packaging as standard cassettes, a rigid plastic box with a folded paper inlay insert (known as a J-card).
As the cassette maxi single or extended play (EP) was released,[1] more intricate packaging was incorporated that looked similar to the packaging of a regular album cassette. These were placed in standard rigid plastic cassette cases, with a folded paper/cardstock inlay "J-card" insert. Unlike a full-length cassette album, these were generally only one two-sided inlay instead of an extended fold-out (the latter as required for song lyrics, and other additional information usually found on albums). Maxi-singles usually contained four or more versions of a single song; i.e.: typically the '7-inch single', an 'album version', a shorter 'radio edit', and occasionally a 'club edit' or 'dance mix', and a '12-inch extended version'.[1] Other options could include an 'a cappella' version, and / or an 'instrumental' version. Alternatively, some cassette singles contained differing versions of two different songs, as in a 'double A-side'.[4]
Popularity
Although the
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Geoff Mayfield (19 July 1986). "Billboard – Retailers boost cassette singles – a new format encores as vinyl fades". New York: Billboard – Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 45, 47. Retrieved 6 September 2020 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b Johnson, Bobbie (19 October 2006). "CDs, downloads ... and now band launches the memory-stick single". www.TheGuardian.com. London: The Guardian – Guardian News & Media Limited. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
- ^ a b c Pareles, Jon (2 September 1987). "Cassette singles: new 45's". www.NYTimes.com. The New York Times – The New York Times Company. p. C21. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
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