What Was The First Album Released on Cassette Tape?
What Was The First Album Released on Cassette Tape?
Throughout the 70s, 80s and early 90s, the audio cassette reigned superior. Near every car was built with a tape player installed, and special carrying cases filled the floors of automobiles everywhere. In fact, cassettes were a revelation. They provided a staggering amount of music in its small size, while also being resistant to the weathers.
They also had great audio quality, were compact, and were rattle proof. All these qualities made them perfect for portable music listening - A new era of listening was born and opened the doors to consumers across the world.
But who was first?
It turns out that, while the cassette tape was a major revolution for portable music, nobody actually documented the first album ever printed on a cassette. We can all dream that somewhere in a grandmother’s loft lies a cassette of the rarest mixed tape ever created, untouched and unheard by the human ears.
Who is listening to cassettes in 2021?
Describing the cassette as “the unlikely comeback kid of music formats”, the Official Charts Company said there was a 103% increase on cassette sales in the first half of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.
In 2021 cassette consumption is looking like it will continue on the same trajectory. Of course the numbers are nowhere near the heydays but in 2020 cassette sales doubled in the UK to a figure over 156,000 copies, which is seriously impressive in a world of Streaming.
There is a real revival happening for cassettes and its exciting to see, Generation Z are crying out for more tangible experiences and want to have the chances to express their passions through creativity.
If you want to start collecting cassette records, you can now purchase new cassette releases and portable cassette players via the Chalkpit Cassette Club shop.
