8 Track: The First Mobile App

by R.J. King

An argument between two strong-willed inventors — Bill Lear and Earl “Madman” Muntz — sparked the world’s first mobile app. Here, for the first time, is the story behind the development of the 8 Track tape player. In late 1965, consumers had two ready options for listening to recorded music — a radio or a record player. But with baby boomers just coming of age in the 1960s, along with new advances in magnetic tape and an explosion of music, Lear and his team ignored the naysayers and developed the 8 Track tape player and tape cartridges. Through a friendship with Henry Ford II, chairman and CEO of Ford Motor Co., Lear lined up his first customer. Lear also convinced David Sarnoff, chairman of RCA Victor, to dedicate 175 albums to the new medium. But Ford’s powerful product planners were not convinced Lear could develop a combined AM radio and 8 Track tape player from scratch (hence the first mobile app). Enter Motorola, which was desperate to keep its share of Ford work by bringing forward a novel music playback system. As Ford, Motorola, RCA, and Lear worked through their separate interests, they launched the 8 Track against stiff resistance. Many of the major record labels were reluctant to support the new medium given the associated costs of design, copyrights, materials, production, distribution, and marketing. But for consumers, artists, musicians, and engineers, the 8 Track represented the Holy Grail of a mobile music experience, and millions of dollars in sales. Here, for the first time, is the inside story.

178 pages, Paperback

First published March 23, 2015

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.