Within the music world, vinyl data get a variety of consideration in the case of bodily media. Gross sales for vinyl data have been on the rise for years, and now the identical factor is beginning to occur with cassette tapes.
The resurgence of vinyl data has been so robust that it’s probably not even a “pattern” anymore. In 2021, folks spent extra on vinyl than CDs for the first time since 1986. Cassette tape gross sales, alternatively, have been very low for a very long time. Nonetheless, within the final 5 years, issues are altering.
A Transient Historical past of Cassette Tapes
The cassette tape was launched in 1963 by Philips. The primary cassettes may maintain 45 minutes of music on either side, which was way more than vinyl data. However maybe the largest benefit of cassette tapes was their compact measurement.
The scale of cassette tapes led to the creation of transportable music gamers, which grew to become extremely well-liked. Vehicles additionally included cassette tape gamers, which meant folks may hearken to one thing apart from the radio. Cassettes had been additionally extra inexpensive than vinyl.
One other massive a part of cassettes’ recognition was clean cassettes and the start of the almighty mixtape. Cassette recorders allowed folks to make their very own customized tapes, which additionally launched the idea of piracy to the music business. To this present day, the idea of mixtapes performs a giant half in how we eat music.
A couple of years after cassette tapes had been launched, 8-Tracks got here alongside. They might play much more music than cassette tapes, and had been nonetheless compact. Nonetheless, cassette tapes remained extra well-liked within the lengthy haul. It wasn’t till CDs had been launched—which had been primarily higher in each means—that cassette tapes had been toppled.
RELATED: Streaming Music? You Should Be Making Your Own Playlists
Cassette Tapes Make a Comeback
Cassette tapes had been the main type of music gross sales from round 1984-1991. Since then, CDs and streaming have dominated the business. Vinyl handed CDs in 2021, however nonetheless pales compared to the juggernaut that’s music streaming.
In the meantime, cassette tape gross sales have slowly been rising. According to Neilsen Music, cassette gross sales within the U.S. grew 35% in 2017 and one other 23% in 2018. Within the U.Ok., cassette gross sales had been up 112% year-over-year within the first half of 2019. Extra not too long ago, gross sales doubled from 2020 to 2021.
Now, these stats could sound spectacular, however the precise variety of cassettes being offered continues to be fairly low. That 23% enhance in U.S. gross sales in 2018 was solely a complete of 219,000 tapes. In the identical 12 months, 18 million CDs and 16 million vinyl records had been offered. 343,000 cassette tapes were sold in 2021, and 215,000 had been already sold in the first half of 2022.
There’s clearly a pattern occurring, however we’re very a lot within the early days. Some big-name artists have began releasing albums on cassettes, corresponding to Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish. Nonetheless, this isn’t a widespread observe. Beginning a cassette tape assortment in 2023—particularly for brand new music—isn’t simple.
There’s additionally the matter of truly listening to the cassette tapes. Not like vinyl turntables, there aren’t many firms making fashionable cassette tape decks. You could find some on Amazon—like this Pyle model—however if you’d like a high-quality tape deck, you’re higher off discovering an outdated one on eBay.
RELATED: How to Digitize/Backup Cassette Tapes and Other Old Media
Why Cassettes?
We’ve talked so much in regards to the historical past of cassettes and their gradual rise, however why precisely is that this occurring? Cassette tapes have been practically nonexistent for many years. It seems it’s an analogous story to how cassette tapes handed vinyl again within the day.
Individuals like cassette tapes for lots of the same reasons that people like vinyl records on turntables. A cassette tape is a whole album so as from begin to end. You may’t simply skip a music, and there’s no “Shuffle” button. That’s often how the artist supposed for the music to be skilled.
Presentation can also be a giant a part of the equation. A cassette tape options an insert with the album paintings, and generally there are additional notes and goodies inside as effectively. It’s way more than only a 300×300 JPEG of the album cowl. You’re shopping for a complete expertise—from the best way you hearken to it to the best way it appears to be like and feels.
Generally, it’s all about nostalgia. Cassette tapes merely don’t sound nearly as good as different strategies for music playback. However similar to with vinyl data, the imperfections are what folks like. Music from a cassette tape has a definite sound. In the event you miss that sound, it could be time to hop again on the cassette practice.
Source link
