21 Feb From Vinyl to Spotify: How the Car Transformed Music

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1930: The first car radio weighs 15 kilos and costs a third of the vehicle’s price. 2026: Spotify plays wirelessly on a 15-inch display, controlled by voice command. In between lie nearly 100 years in which the car has driven perhaps the most radical change in music consumption – literally.

1930-1960: Car Radio – The First Revolution

It all began with Paul Galvin. The founder of Motorola (the name is a combination of “motor” and “Victrola,” a phonograph manufacturer) developed the Motorola 5T71 in 1930 – a bulky, tube-based device mounted under the dashboard. It cost 130 dollars, which is equivalent to around 2,400 dollars today when adjusted for inflation.

In Europe, Blaupunkt was the pioneer. The AS 5 model hit the market in 1932 and was sold under the brand name “Autosuper.” The principle was simple: an antenna on the roof, a receiver under the dashboard, and a speaker in the footwell. The sound quality was terrible – but that didn’t matter. For the first time, people could listen to music while on the move.

Pexels / Miguel A. Padriñán

1963-1985: The Cassette – Your Car, Your Playlist

Philips introduced the compact cassette at the Berlin Radio Show in 1963. Within five years, it had made its way into cars. Starting in 1968, Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz offered cassette players as optional equipment.

The cassette changed everything. For the first time, drivers could bring their own music along – instead of passively listening to the radio, the car became a personal music space. The mixtape became a cultural phenomenon: Rob Sheffield wrote an entire book about it (Love Is a Mix Tape), and Nick Hornby immortalized it in High Fidelity.

1985-2005: The CD – Perfection on 12 Centimeters

In 1985, Lincoln became the first manufacturer to offer a CD player in cars. The digital audio quality was a quantum leap: no more tangled tapes, no more hiss, no more quality loss due to heat. The CD changer in the trunk (holding 6 or 10 CDs) became a status symbol of the 1990s.

However, the CD era in cars was surprisingly short. It dominated for only about 20 years – before a device from Cupertino changed everything again.

2001-2015: iPod, AUX, Bluetooth – The Transition Period

Steve Jobs introduced the iPod in October 2001. “1,000 songs in your pocket.” BMW was the first automaker to respond, offering an iPod interface in 2004. Suddenly, the CD changer was obsolete.

The following years were a wild transitional phase: AUX cables became the most important feature, FM transmitters served as a stopgap, and starting in 2010, Bluetooth audio made its way into more and more vehicles. The sound quality was initially terrible (A2DP profile, often only mono), but convenience won out.

2015-Present: Streaming, CarPlay, and the Future

With Apple CarPlay (2014) and Android Auto (2015), the smartphone became the heart of the car audio system. Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal—all available on the infotainment display, often with a better interface than on the phone itself.

By 2026, we’ve reached a point where the car is the best place to listen to music: thanks to Dolby Atmos in the Mercedes EQS (23 speakers), Apple Spatial Audio in the BMW iX, and acoustically optimized cabins that actively filter out road noise (ANC). The car is no longer just a means of transport with music—it’s a high-end listening room on wheels.

Title image: Pexels