The First Mobile App: 8 Track

by R.J. King

In late 1965 with baby boomers coming of age, along with new advances in magnetic tape and an explosion of recorded music, inventor Bill Lear and Ford Motor Co. gambled on introducing the world’s first mobile an AM radio combined with an 8 Track tape player.
Fusing the two mediums was fraught with difficulties. The hardware had to perform under grueling road and weather conditions, while the software faced an insurmountable roadblock given none of the record companies would license music to an unproven playback system.
Through a roller-coaster ride of perseverance, Lear tried to convince David Sarnoff, chairman of RCA Victor, to license records to the new medium, while Ford, working with Motorola, sought to ruggedize the radio players and develop new “album” cartridges.
With just nine months to introduce 8 Track in time for the 1966 model year, the engineering team led by John P. King worked at warp speed. Along the way, 4 Track owner Earl Muntz disavowed the startup at every turn.
Racing against time, Lear, Ford, and Motorola had to create and execute a consumer product launch, convince major retailers to stock the players and cartridges, and pray that music fans would invest their hard-earned dollars in a brand new sound system.

177 pages, Hardcover

Published January 20, 2024

About the author

R.J. King is the author of four books, “Detroit: Engine of America,” named a Finalist in the Midwest Book Awards, “Passport to the Corner Office: The Starter’s Guide to Corporate Life,” “8 Track: The First Mobile App,” and “Mystical.” King also is editor of DBusiness magazine, DBusiness Daily News, Tech and Mobility News, Detroit 500, and Michigan Makers, plus host of the How To Grow Your Business Podcast. DBusiness and related media offerings cover companies in metro Detroit and Michigan that are expanding locally, nationally, and internationally. Since 2011, DBusiness magazine has been honored with more than 35 Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals in the Editorial Excellence Awards from the Alliance of Area Business Publishers, including being named the top regional business magazine in the country. Prior to launching DBusiness in 2006, Mr. King was a business writer for The Detroit News for 16 years, where he wrote more than 4,000 articles covering economic development, automotive, aerospace, health care, technology, transportation, and other business sectors. Mr. King is a board member of the Brother Rice Business Alliance, Beyond Basics, Detroit Aircraft Corp., Detroit Spacecraft Corp., ASX, and the Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce. In addition, he serves on the Board of Trustees for The Parade Co. He is a member of the Detroit Athletic Club, and on the board of the DAC Executives Club and the DAC Car Club. He also is a member of the Boston-Edison Historic District and the University of Michigan Alumni Association. In 2014, Mr. King was inducted into the International Heritage Foundation’s Heritage Hall of Fame.