A cassette recording is a type of audio recording that uses magnetic TAPE to store sound. It was developed in the 1950s and became popular in the 1970s and 1980s. The term 'cassette recording' refers to the use of a cassette TAPE, which is a small plastic case containing a spool of magnetic TAPE. The TAPE is wound around two spools, one for recording and one for playback. The recording is made by passing the TAPE over a recording head, which magnetizes the TAPE and stores the sound. The playback is done by passing the TAPE over a playback head, which reads the magnetized TAPE and produces the sound. The term 'TAPE' is used to refer to the cassette TAPE itself.