The 8-track cassette (also named eight-track or 8-track) is a cassette with a magnetic tape with eight tracks that was developed in 1964. In the 1960s, these cassettes for recording and reproducing music were popular for a while, especially in car radios. The cassette takes its name from the eight audio tracks on the tape, which means that four stereo recordings can be recorded in parallel. By moving the magnetic heads transversely to the running direction of the belt, you can switch back and forth between the four shots. The tape is wound on a spool and the ends are welded together, creating an endless tape. A metal strip is attached to the weld, with which a contact is operated that cyclically switches the heads to the next recording. Most playback devices have a button that allows you to switch manually. Due to the friction on the spool, the band is slightly stretched, so that its speed is not entirely constant, which does not benefit the sound quality. Nevertheless, the cassettes were popular for a while, especially for use in the car, where sound quality is less important than in the home. The 8-track cassette disappeared from the scene in the early 1970s to make way for the more popular compact cassette.