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Mix tapes were and still are extremely popular, although the medium used for mixing songs and music collections differ. In the course of the last couple of decades the medium changed from compact cassettes to compact disks and digital devices which facilitate mixing and arrangement of music and songs. At the same time, the development of mix tapes is closely associated with the introduction of cassettes, which allowed users to record music and mix it respectively to their tastes and preferences. However, in the course of time, mix tapes changed and evolved. As a result, today, mix tapes are created not only by amateurs but also by musicians, DJs and other professionals working in the entertainment industry and, what is even more important, mix tapes have already become the means of promotion of musicians and bands that increases their impact on the popular culture which was traditionally very strong.
In order to better understand the role of mix tapes in the contemporary culture, it is important to dwell upon the development of mix tapes briefly. First of all, it is important to lay emphasis on the fact that the emergence of mix tapes is closely related to the appearance of compact cassettes which allowed users to record music respectively to their wants and preferences. At the beginning, mix tapes were created by amateurs and represented spontaneous mixes of favorite songs and music. However, steadily amateurs started to experiment with their mixes and revealed the real potential of mix tapes. In fact, mix tapes have become an important source of inspiration and creativity for amateurs and later for professionals because, while collecting their mixes, amateurs as well as professionals searched for their favorite music, they attempted to arrange it by the theme or mood, or just selected songs and music spontaneously. Anyway, they conducted the extensive creative work which helped them to find a new presentation and new vision of old songs and music they were accustomed to.
In fact, the aesthetic significance of mix tapes can hardly be underestimated because mix tapes mirror the internal world, preferences and aesthetic tastes of their creator. The person creating a mix tape works carefully on the mix tape to select the music he or she likes to listen. Moreover, people can exchange their mix tapes and, thus, share their tastes and favorite music with each other. Obviously, mix tapes had and still have a great potential because, along with conventional use, they can be used as the means of communication. In such a way, people used and still can use mix tapes to convey their feelings and emotions to other people. They can create certain mood with the help of mix tapes which they have created on their own.
In such a context, it is important to dwell upon benefits and advantages of mix tapes, which actually determined their popularity. As the matter of fact, mix tapes are a perfect alternative to the mainstream music and the mass media because they represent an individual collection of songs and music which each person selects individually. The individuality and originality of mix tapes is the main advantage of mix tapes compared to conventional collection of music and songs, which as a rule, represent albums of certain musicians and pop stars. Mix tapes are different from conventional collections of music and songs. In such a context, they may be viewed as a challenge to the consumerist culture and the mainstream trends in music because users creating mix tapes can choose any song or music they like and to create unique works which may be viewed as a form of new art.
At the same time, it is worth mentioning the fact that mix tapes have changed consistently in the course of time. As it has been already mentioned above, mix tapes used to be collection of music and songs mixed by individuals according to their tastes and recorded on a compact cassette. However, the use of cassettes has reached its peak in the 1980s, whereas since the late 1980s the decline of mix tapes has started and the rise of compact disks and digital technologies instead has started to replace compact cassettes as mediums used for mix tapes.
On the other hand, many amateurs, who are accustomed to use cassettes, still prefer tapes instead of CDs or other digital technologies and media. As a rule, people using cassettes for recording music and songs and mixing them up into original collections are true fans of cassettes because tapes are actually out of date and the use of this technology does not meet the contemporary standards of quality. In this regard, many amateurs using cassettes argue and oppose to the skeptic view on the quality of mix tapes created on the basis of cassettes as the medium on which music is recorded. They stand on the ground that the quality of music and songs is still very high and it depends on the professionalism, skills and abilities of a person who composes the mix tape rather than on the medium on which the music and songs are recorded. What is meant here is the fact that the quality is not always the determinant factor that defines the medium used for the creation of mix tapes. On the other hand, it is obvious that CDs and digital technologies are easy to use and they are much more convenient and user friendly than cassettes. Therefore, mix tapes created on the basis of CDs and digital technologies are easier to use because users can find easily the track they are looking for in minimal time. Moreover, the use of new media, such as the CD, allows users to create mixes and listen their collections via their PCs, notebooks, and other media where CDs can be used.