#TBT: Are Cassette Tapes Really Making A Comeback?
January 10, 2019 2:00PM CST
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.
I know I still have many many boxes of cassettes, myself!