| Music has always been a popular way to enjoy an | | | | were optional equipment and then standard |
| evening at home. If you have only a radio, turning | | | | equipment in many vehicles. |
| to a classical station, oldies station or whatever | | | | At home, CD players were built into computers |
| your favorite type of music is and settling down | | | | and the speed and quality of the discs improved |
| to read, study or just dream a little has always | | | | exponentially over the next few months. At the |
| been a popular recreational activity. Teenagers | | | | same time as the media forms were changing |
| have been listening to rock and roll on the radio | | | | from records to CDs, many musical instruments |
| for years, but even before that, old time radio | | | | sound was created electronically on electronic |
| shows were welcome entertainment for the | | | | keyboards. These instruments had a piano like |
| entire family. Fibber McGee and Molly, Amos and | | | | keyboard but added chords, rhythms and |
| Andy, The Lone Ranger and Gunsmoke are just | | | | embellishments to a one finger melody. There are |
| few of the radio shows that families listened to | | | | even prerecorded pieces that can be played. |
| together. There were also live music shows from | | | | Today, many people listen to music on |
| some of the famous big band performances. | | | | headphones from an MP3 player or even to music |
| As television entered the entertainment | | | | pieces downloaded to their cell phones. Sharing |
| mainstream, musical variety shows were often | | | | musical ring tones, or musical pieces by their |
| popular. Who could forget Ed Sullivan's | | | | favorite artist with friends is a common way to |
| presentation of the Beatles first performance in | | | | spend an evening. At the same time as music |
| the U.S. Other favorites included The Dinah Shore | | | | carrying capacity jams more music into a smaller |
| Show, Tennessee Ernie Ford and later, the Dean | | | | disk or memory card, televisions screens are |
| Martin Show and later Sonny and Cher, The | | | | getting larger and larger. In fact, you can listen to |
| Monkees and Donny and Marie Osmond. | | | | dozens of music stations sorted by genre on |
| The record companies were selling singles, then | | | | your television set billed as a home theater |
| records and the then long-playing stereo records. | | | | experience. |
| Stereos were becoming accepted as fine | | | | Today there are not many high class stereo |
| furniture, at the same time as upscale stereo | | | | systems including a radio, record player, and |
| systems became more and more common. It | | | | cassette player around. A mobile phone unit can |
| seemed at times that the music was less | | | | pull in FM radio stations, play memory cards with |
| important than the equipment that it was played | | | | dozens of songs per memory card in one small |
| on. Then almost overnight it seemed, eight-track | | | | package, not much larger than a candy bar. By |
| cassettes were available and people switched to | | | | using a headphone or Bluetooth technology, each |
| the handy map pocket sized cases with the tape | | | | listener can be lost in a completely different kind |
| players built into the cars. The tape players had | | | | of musical enjoyment. |
| hardly made it into automobiles before CD players | | | | |