Magnetic tape isn't just dead, but it is also deteriorating. 

It is breaking down, falling apart, and what was once thought to be nearly permanent is proving to be extraordinarily fragile. 

Audio tape was used for decades as a way to disseminate music, seminars, audio histories, speeches, news, by folklorist, in short--our culture.  Hydrolysis, the breakdown of the glue that holds the little magnetic bits to the tape, is becoming more prevalent.  The life span of tapes, under the best circumstances, is up to 15 years before things start getting sticky.  In other words anything created before 1994 has almost certainly started to lose its fidelity.