When electrical equipment manufacturer AEG introduced the Magnetophon K1 in Berlin in 1935, more than five decades had passed since Thomas Edison's groundbreaking phonograph. Many had explored the idea of recording sound electromagnetically, however it was the development of a unique tape head, in concert with a plastic tape coated in iron powder, that proved the breakthrough.

Although the first recordings were noisy and didn't sound any better than shellac records, AEG and tape manufacturer IG Farben were encouraged by a new possibility: the ability to cut and splice. Recordings could thus be edited and altered unlike ever before. In 1936 the first-ever concert was committed to magnetic tape in Ludwigshafen: a recording of the London Symphony Orchestra.

Broadcasters could now pre-produce, archive and repeat broadcasts, allowing them to operate around-the-clock programs that sounded live. The Nazis were quick adopters of the new technology, utilizing its potential for their propaganda regime. After the Second World War, the devices were becoming easier to use and manufacture, leading to the production of machines for home use.

Radio manufacturer Max Grundig soon recognized the potential of the tape recorder, namely on the mass market. In 1951, his company introduced the first affordable home tape recorder, the Reporter 500L. The innovation earned the admiration of the man known as the father of the German economic miracle and Finance Minister Ludwig Erhard, pictured here with Grundig (left).

The new tape recorder aimed at everyday consumers - the Telefunken Magnetophon 300, pictured here in 1963 - soon became battery powered and cable free, making it possible for people to enjoy their music anywhere, anytime.

Even at parties the tape recorder proved a hit - offering hours of continuous play and eliminating the need to change records. The innovation was widely embraced by German youth in the 1960s and 70s, like in this picture from West Germany in 1979.

With no commercial interests, music fans could now record concerts for repeated home listening, and then share the recordings with friends - like this young man at an open air festival at Burg Alsfeld in central Germany in the 1970s.

Listeners could now hear entire symphonies without needing to interrupt the flow for record changes. Star conductor Karl Böhm embraced the innovation. Pictured here together with his son, actor Karlheinz Böhm, he is rejoicing at the recording of a complete Bruckner symphony, performed by the Berlin Philharmonic and now playable without interruption.

German pop star Nicole had a hi-fi reel-to-reel tape recorder in her living room. The Eurovision Song Contest winner from 1982 was able to listen to demo songs presented to her for consideration in the comfort of her own home.

During the Cold War, East and West Germany busied themselves spying on one another to gain political intelligence and get the upper hand, both economically and politically. All of the latest technological innovations were employed in such intelligence-gathering - including the tape recorder.

Important conversations, meetings and negotiations could now be recorded. Tape recordings also became common place in court rooms, and could even be submitted as evidence. In this picture from an Augsburg District Court, phone calls demanding kidnap ransom money 28 years beforehand were played on the original device.

Tape recording was now common place and other companies worldwide began to develop and manufacture their own equipment. In 1974 American singer Neil Sedaka planned to record in Frankfurt, however when the engineer played the piano accompaniment - recorded previously in the US - it sounded muffled and distorted, as the tape from the US was incompatible with the European device.

Meanwhile, digital recording supplanted the analogue tape machine. Even the digital audio tape (DAT) faded from studios and living rooms, as the CD and then MP3 took over - rendering the old "tape salad" to the attic and the history books.