Stability and preservation of audio magnetic recordings require attention to and precautions against all three of the following hazards: chemical degradation, physical distortion, and magnetic corruption. Analog and digital recordings are on media with the same susceptibilities to chemical degradation and physical distortion. They do respond somewhat differently to magnetic corruption effects, and this will be discussed. Recommendations are offered for minimizing each of these risks.

Useful and acceptable reproduction from records so preserved further demands that in the anticipated reproduction process there be conformance to the essentials of good practice. These essentials are also reviewed.