A very interesting story regarding cassette tapes was published in “The Guardian,” a London daily newspaper recently. It seems like the cassette tape is making a modest comeback in England! Sales were up by 125 percent in 2018 over the previous year! More than 500,000 cassette albums were purchased last year in the United Kingdom!
Now why this is the case is the real question. Cassette tapes were always known for lower sound quality, inconvenience, and the actual magnetic tape spilling out of its housing and getting stuck in the deck. Yet artists such as Ariana Grande are releasing some of their new material on cassette tapes. In fact, Grande’s “Thank You, Next” was top on the tape chart with 540 units sold last week in the UK.
Perhaps the reason why tape had made a mild comeback is the same reason why the CD has made a comeback too: nostalgia. Millennials seem to have a desire to recycle pop culture. Artist DJ Phin said that it’s the “tangibility of having this collectible format and a way to play music that isn’t just a stream or download.” Whatever the reason, you may not want to throw that old Sony Walkman out just yet!