Grant Erwin wrote in article
...
I've been following this NG since about 1994 and haven't noticed this
coming up.
I listen to music in my shop, like many guys. Can't stand the radio, so I
make
MP3 CDs with about 150 songs on each of 'em and play them through a
little
Walkman-type player, into some Bose self-powered speakers.



Being the frugal sort, I have purchased old, obsolete-but-complete stereo
systems for my shop at lawn sales for $10 or so.

I can listen to my local Public Broadcasting of classical network through
the FM receiver, but here's the best part.....

.....most of these old lawn sale finds have eight-track players in
them.....Yes! I said EIGHT-TRACK.

Not only can I play the music of my youth, I can usually find paper boxes
and carrying cases full of eight-track tapes at lawn sales and flea markets
for $5/box. I currently have several hundred tapes with an investment of
less than $50, and friend of mine - with the same setup in his shop -
trades his Big Band and Classical finds for my C&W duplicates and castoffs.

I sometimes need to throw 25-50 percent away due to broken tapes or
deteriorated drive wheels - they turn to a soft, sticky, gelatenous mass
that really gums up the drive mechanisms, so I check ALL my eight-tracks
before putting them into my music rotation - but I still have a wide
assortment of music available whenever the mood strikes....Classical, Big
Band, Pop, Rock, Country, etc.

With the "talking machine" currently serving the shop, I could probably
also dive into my vinyl collection and bring some old albums into the shop
too!

Oh, the other neat thing is that these "systems" are usually so cheap at
lawn sales, etc., that I can afford to keep an extra one or two "on hand"
for a quick changeover should the one currently in use decide to head
South........