Classic Media: Why Cassette Tapes Are Popular Again

 

Classic Media: Why Cassette Tapes Are

Popular Again

Cassette tapes are back again and are having their best-selling years in decades.

Learn why more are going back to the humble cassette in this blog.

They say that fashion is cyclical, but as it turns out, physical media may be too. In

recent years, cassette tapes and other classic media have risen from the dead to

become popular again. Why are cassette tapes having their best-selling years and decades suddenly? We

answer that question and more in our breakdown of the cassette tape revival.

Nostalgia

There are many practical reasons why cassette tapes have seen a resurgence as of late, but there’s no doubt that the driving force for many people deciding to return to cassettes is emotional. For those who were around when cassette tapes were fashionable, buying them again reminds them of their younger days when they had a favorite tape they played over and over. Even young people who weren’t around when cassette tapes were popular are interested in them because they’re a connection to a different era of music. It’s a way to share a music experience with older siblings or their parents and talk about what it was like to get a new cassette tape at a young age. If you’ve got old cassette tapes you’re not sure what to do with, odds are you can resell them to an interested fan looking to take a step back in time!

Sound Quality

The primary attraction of cassette tapes was always their convenience, not their sound quality. It’s one of the reasons why, when compact discs (CDs) debuted, cassettes were marked obsolete. CDs were more convenient and had better sound quality.But in the decades since, tape technology has improved markedly to where cassette tapes are just as good, if not better than other forms of music. They offer a warmer sound and are closer to the original artist’s intent than digital streaming. This is because the sound file doesn’t have to be compressed to fit in an internet library. 

Artist Support & Media Ownership

The advent of internet streaming platforms disrupted the music industry by introducing a go-between between artists and fans and doing away with physical media. But now, with the return of cassettes, vinyl records, and CDs, fans can support their favorite artists directly and physically own something instead of downloading music on a smartphone or computer.Nowadays, it’s common for artists to release new music on cassette tapes too. Examples of modern musicians releasing their new music on cassette tapes include:

Lady Gaga

Kanye West

Billie Eilish

Lana Del Rey

Coldplay 

Cassette tapes are popular again, and hopefully, now you understand why some people prefer them over digital media. If you’ve got old cassette tapes somewhere, consider breaking them out and listening to them again!