The Cassette Tape Comeback: Fad or Forever?
Anyone over 25 remembers the compact media sensation: tapes. We had everything on tape. Books on tape. Music on tape. Taping songs off the radio so you could listen to them whenever you wanted. Winding them back up with a pencil when your Walkman/little sister pulled all the tape out. With news that cassette tape sales have risen to their highest level since 2003, is it worth digging out the old Sony Walkman? And should musicians seriously consider cassettes as a method of distribution today.
How popular are cassette tapes in 2024?
Cassette tapes remain the most popular analogue audio format ever made, and more than 30 billion blank or pre-recorded cassettes have been produced since their invention.
With over 195,000 tapes sold in 2022, following a decade of accelerating growth, cassette tapes are a popular part of the music scene once again. The most popular cassettes sold last year were ‘The Car’ from The Arctic Monkeys (sold over 10,000 in less than 3 months) and Harry Styles’ ‘Harry’s House’, along with albums from Florence + The Machine, Muse and Machine Gun Kelly. Artists are reviving this iconic media to connect with their audience in a tangible way, tapping into nostalgia for predigital simplicity.
Cassettes are Back
According to Drew Hill, MD Proper Music Group / VP Distribution, Utopia Music, ‘With 86% of 2022’s No.1 records boasting a majority in physical sales in their first week at the top, it continues to prove that music fans from across all ages and genres are continuing to desire their favourite music in a tangible form; as something to be cherished and collected as well as played on repeat.’
This is a remarkable turnaround for a format which sold fewer than 4000 units in 2012. Since then sales of cassette tapes have risen every year, and in 2020 audio cassette sales nearly doubled from 80,000 units the year before to almost 160,000 units. Something wild must have happened during the pandemic in the UK music scene. Since this huge resurgence, sales have slowed but continued to grow, and now it’s safe to say: cassette tapes are back.
How are Artists Using Audio Cassettes?
Limited Edition
Part of the secret behind the success of last year’s audio cassette comeback was exclusivity. 5 Seconds of Summer and BLACKPINK both released tapes with unique artwork and colourways in each case, providing fans with a limited edition piece of memorabilia.
Commemorative Cassettes
Celebratory releases were also part of the drive in sales. Parlaphone Records marked the 40th anniversary of Iron Maiden’s third studio album, ‘The Number of the Beast’ by releasing a collectable cassette.
Can Anyone Make Cassettes?
With producers and distribution managers treating cassettes as a viable marketing option, many are glad that cassette production services are still available in the UK. But you don’t have to be signed with a big label to make cassettes.
At Media Duplication Ltd. we take on big and small runs of cassette tapes for music distribution. Whether you’re selling 100 tapes of a charity album as a fundraiser, making 20 copies of your project to share or producing a run of thousands, our industrial cassette printing machines can handle orders of any size, without compromising audio quality.
Media Duplication Cassette Duplication Service
For anyone looking for a professional audio cassette production service, Media Duplication can help. We offer fast audio-tape printing, with a huge range of tape colours and styles to help your releases stand out.
Visit our audio cassette quote page, fill in the details required, and we’ll get back to you in quick time. If you need help call us on 01455 363 336
