 Tape could be edited by cutting it with a blade and neatly joining ends together with adhesive tape.By early 1949, the transition from live performances preserved on discs to performances prerecorded on magnetic tape for later broadcast was complete for network radio programs.However, for the physical distribution of prerecorded programming to individual stations, 16-inch 33 rpm vinyl pressings, less expensive to produce in quantities of identical copies than tapes, continued to be standard throughout the 1950s.