PlayTapes are highly collectible, and a very unique artifact from the so-called music tape wars of the 1960s. Different formats battled for dominance; 8-track tapes and cassettes won out. Others, like reel-to-reel tapes, continued and appealed to higher-end audiophiles. Cartridges like the 4-track and the obscure mini-twin 4-track format fought the good fight but petered out. And then there were endless-loop PlayTapes.
The PlayTape was a kind of 8-track cartridge in miniature form. Smaller and thinner than a standard 8-track or 4-track tape, PlayTapes were shorter and somewhat analogous to EPs. Or, perhaps, a prototypical cassingle, even.
PlayTapes were marketed, and proved fairly popular, from roughly 1966 to 1968. They used 1/8″ tape — the same width as cassettes. (8-track tapes, 4-track tapes, and reel-to-reels used 1/4″ tape.) PlayTapes behaved sort of like 4-tracks: you play through the length of tape inside twice, hearing two different sections. Both sections had 2-4 songs on average. With a maximum length of 24 minutes, but most with a shorter playing time, PlayTapes were basically even more-portable, miniature versions of 8-track tapes for those on the go.
4-track tapes: Vintage cartridges from the 1960s
Listen to PlayTapes with a vintage player
There were a few different PlayTape players, as well as cases and other accessories. PlayTape players were generally portable, with a speaker built into the unit. Perfect for the beach.
Volkswagen even offered PlayTape players (the “Sapphire” line of models) in some of their cars, both with and without a radio. The portable players are not too hard to find for sale, though the Sapphires are much more rare.
Obviously collectible and interesting to vintage music format fans, PlayTapes include several titles by the likes of The Beatles, The Grass Roots, and other popular 1960s artists. Three thousand titles were available, many with text-only labels but a few with album cover pictures. Surprisingly, many PlayTapes for sale online these days are still sealed.
