Do you like to record some of your favorite tunes as a digital playlist you can listen to as you drive, work out, or just make your way through the day? That’s a personal, informal “mixtape,” and while you might think it’s just an easy way to give you access to some of your favorite tunes, it’s actually a traditional format. There’s quite a history behind mixtapes.
Generally speaking, a mixtape, or mixed tape, is any compilation of songs recorded on a storage medium of any kind. It typically reveals the musical tastes of the person who made it. It can contain a random selection or adhere to some concept, like rock songs from the ’50s, for example. But as a modern day industry term, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with less constraints than an album. Unlike the traditional album, mixtapes give an artist freedom to take whatever direction they like, that is, without the constraints of commercial production.
The format is generally thought to have been developed in the 1970s by professional DJs. But in the 1980s and 1990s, performers started using them to provide exclusive access to certain material. Interestingly, the concept was adopted and furthered by the Grateful Dead and their audiences, those aptly named Deadheads, as the Dead encouraged their fans to record their concerts and share the music. The practice was noteworthy for its non-commercialism in a highly commercialized, protective, and litigious popular music industry.