Cassette sales are booming again, rewinding the clock back to the boombox era when they ruled as a more portable alternative to vinyl.
After decades in decline with the emergence of CDs and then digital music, cassette tapes — released by the likes of Swift, Billie Eilish and Harry Styles — have experienced a 443% increase in US sales since 2015, according to Luminate data.
Following the vinyl resurgence, cassettes are the latest example of young music fans who grew up on downloads and streaming now embracing the physical products of their parents’ generation.
Nostalgic pop culture moments — such as Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) listening to tapes on “Stranger Things” and Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) rocking out to his Walkman in “Guardians of the Galaxy” — have helped make cassettes hot again.
When Tower Records relaunched as an online store in 2020, they began with just vinyl, but quickly added CDs and then cassettes. Cassette sales also got a boost from difficulty manufacturing records.
During the heart of the pandemic, indie acts turned to cassettes as a way to make money — and stay connected to fans — that was cheaper and quicker than vinyl. The cassette resurgence is also a product of fans showing their support for their favorite artists — most of whom are making pennies on streaming.
Still, finding something to actually play those cassettes on can be tricky — unless you have been holding on to old equipment for decades. Sony has introduced Walkman-like products that only play digital music — and cost as much as $3,700 — but if you’re looking for the real deal, you can find refurbished Walkmans online.
