On July 1, 1979, Sony launched the Walkman, the small portable object that revolutionized the way you listen to music.
Masari Ibuka – co-founder of Sony – thought that the classic media player was bulky, so he started by producing a cassette player, precisely portable. From that moment on, the turnover sketched to the stars and 400 million pieces were sold all over the world.
Until then, music was a luxury you could only enjoy at home, sitting on the couch or in your own bedroom. The musical perception of the user who could start to personalize his experience was changed forever, the same mechanism that today’s streaming services involve, within the reach of our mobile device.
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of this revolution, the Japanese house opened an exhibition in the Ginza district of Tokyo.
The exhibition is titled “#009 Walkman in the park – 40 years since the music started to walk“. The focus is on all those people who have made Walkman a way of life and have lived it in everyday life.
Divided into two parts, it begins with “My Story, My Walkman” – moments in the lives of 40 celebrities are also shared – and continues with “Walkman wall”, 230 versions of the reader in these 40 years.
From older models to newer ones, a Walkman timeline shows users how forms and technologies – from cassettes to CD players to MP3s – have evolved throughout this time.
The exhibition opened on July 1st and will run until September 1st, so if you’re nostalgic or just curious you can’t miss it.
Text by Elisa Scotti
