Are Cassette Tapes Really Making A Comeback?
Sales of cassette tapes have been increasing over the last few years, but does that really mean the era of the Walkman is set to make a return? When you crunch the numbers, you might be surprised.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – NOVEMBER 16: A cassette tape sits on a conveyor belt that is carrying recyclable materials through a sorting machine at Recology’s Recylce Central on November 16, 2016 in San Francisco, California. Recology has installed a state-of-the-art recycling system at their 200,000 square foot Recycle Central facility that is capable of increasing their daily processing of recyclable materials by 170 tons. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)Sales of cassette tapes have been increasing over the last few years, but does that really mean the era of the Walkman is set to make a return? When you crunch the numbers, you might be surprised.
Looking at figures from Forbes, cassette sales grew 74% in 2016 and another 35% in 2017.
Last year, they were up an astounding 125%, says BPI. Which may look like a trend, but hold on. Of the 50,000 units that moved last year, three artists made up 1/3 of those sales: The 1975, Kylie Minogue, and Prodigy. Perhaps calling tapes a dead format is too harsh, but it seems like they'll remain a novelty or something for collectors to keep.
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