Editing Cassette tape (section)

===Flaws===
Magnetic tape is not an ideal medium for long-term archival storage, as it begins to degrade after 10 – 20 years, with some experts estimating its lifespan to be no more than 30 years.<ref>{{cite web |last=Pogue |first=David |author-link=David Pogue |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/digitize-those-memory-filled-cassettes-before-they-disintegrate/ |magazine=[[Scientific American]] |title=Digitize Those Memory-Filled Cassettes before They Disintegrate |url-status=live |date=1 September 2016 |access-date=12 August 2023 |archive-date=12 August 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230812194200/https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/digitize-those-memory-filled-cassettes-before-they-disintegrate/ }}</ref><ref name="LegacyBox">{{cite web|url=https://legacybox.com/blogs/analog/history-of-the-cassette-tape |publisher=[[Legacy Box]] |title=History of the Cassette Tape |last=Somerfield |first=Katy |access-date=12 August 2023 |archive-date=12 August 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230812194210/https://legacybox.com/blogs/analog/history-of-the-cassette-tape }}</ref>

A common mechanical problem occurs when a defective player or resistance in the tape path causes insufficient tension on the take-up spool. This would cause the magnetic tape to be fed out through the bottom of the cassette and become tangled in the mechanism of the player. In these cases, the player was said to have "eaten" or "chewed" the tape, often destroying the playability of the cassette.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://beradio.com/mag/radio_trends_technology_recording/|title=Trends in Technology: Recording Sound |first=Steve |last=Fluker |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040923212542/http://beradio.com/mag/radio_trends_technology_recording/ |archive-date=23 September 2004}}</ref>{{failed verification|reason=eating is mentioned as a bane but the exact cause is not explained. See also  [[Talk:Cassette tape#chewing hides the sound]]|date=August 2021}}