I joined the company now known as Ongen Publishing Company at the age of 23. In the spring of 1968, the year that I turned 24, Philips held an announcement to unveil the compact cassette tape. Back then popular audiotapes consisted of the 8-track cartridge and 4-track endless versions, for which use also extended to car audio systems and karaoke machines. The 8-track models were spearheaded by the Learjet Corporation, with the 4-tracks marketed by Fidelipac. At a time of furious debate over whether such formats would succeed or go down the drain, the debut of the cassette tape was astonishing to say the least.
At the heyday of the open-reel tape, discussions heated up about how certain aspects rendered it impossible to adopt the cassette tape for audio applications purposes. However, upon the announcement by Philips of the complimentary release of its basic patent on condition that interchangeability would be sustained, the cassette tape virtually emerged as the standard specification (the information in this paragraph was taken from Wikipedia).
I remember sensing a dazzling future for the cassette tape, at a size that literally fit into the palm of the hand. The aspirations and inquisitiveness of human beings seemed certain to drive cassette tape to the same heights of performance as its cartridge and open-reel tape predecessors, earning the overwhelming support of customers to transform the world. My heart was awash in the burning passion of such thoughts.
For myself, the cassette tape loomed as an immense theme, prompting me to conduct interviews of 8-track manufacturers with those thoughts in mind. The main companies visited were Apollo Music Kogyo, Victor Music Industries, Clarion, Nippon Broadcasting Service System, and Teichiku. Behind my subsequent declaration to former chief editor Murata that I wished to conduct ad sales calls at these companies, and receiving permission to make that move, was the feedback forthcoming from that coverage, research, and other avenues (see the previous issue).
The first company I called upon was Nippon Broadcasting Service System. While department manager Kobayashi there spoke to me, I failed to secure consent for a corporate ad at that time. After excusing myself and heading toward the door, Mr. Kobayashi called out: “Mr. Wada! Phone me up in the evening or so.” I thanked him for the offer and proceeded to the next company. I had secured appointments at all music tape concerns, and made the marketing rounds of one company after another. At each visit, however, the answer was “No.”
When evening came about, I returned to Mr. Kobayashi’s office, where he told me: “I want to give you what you want. Your drive is admirable, so I’d like to give you a hand.” With that, he presented me with ad copy and the following encouragement: “You show great promise, so give it your best shot.” That image of Mr. Kobayashi remained deeply etched in my heart.
In July of 1971, Radio and TV Industry changed its name to Audio senka (Audio Special Course), undertaking the revamped mission devoted to development of the audio industry and cultivation of audio specialty shops. For myself, I channeled the full scope of my energies into analog audio, while also feeling my passion for cassette tapes continue to swell.
In 1971, when I was 27, I proclaimed the “First Year of the Tape Era.” With that, I brought together a group of close to 30 figures from the various manufacturers and other related quarters for a symposium. This marked the beginning of the epochal move by the industry to popularize the cassette tape, with the market for those tapes making the first powerful strides down the road to prosperity. That was also the year when the company name was changed from the Electronic Newspaper Company to Ongen Publishing Co., Ltd. underscoring its push into the publishing field. In this way, 1971 was a truly landmark year.