Re-rewind: Are cassettes the new vinyl? Sales of the once defunct format more than double in 2017

27 years ago, cassettes were the leading format of choice for music buyers.

CDs, downloads and streaming may have long superseded them, but over a quarter of a century since their peak, it seems the humble cassette is whirring back into life, according to new Official Charts Company data.

With vinyl having made a glorious comeback four years ago (and still growing), artists and consumers are now revisiting the once-defunct cassette in increasing numbers, making it the fastest-growing format in Britain right now.

This year has seen UK sales of cassette albums double, rising by 112% compared to 2016, thanks to an increase in high profile acts including Royal Blood, Jay Z and Lana Del Rey releasing limited runs of their albums on the retro format as a collector’s item for fans. In 2017 alone, more than 80 albums have been released on cassette, driving almost 20,000 sales (19,399 units up to the first week of November).

It's the highest level of cassette sales in more than a decade, going back to 2006, when 21,019 units were purchased by fans. There is also an upward trajectory emerging, with the annual total of cassette sales rising every year since 2012, when a low of 3,823 purchases was recorded.

Whilst it shouldn't be compared too closely to the resurgence of vinyl in the UK, there are arguably similar factors at play. The appeal of cassettes is as a collectable item for fans, while followers of less mainstream genres often see it as a way of preserving exclusivity. Last month saw the fifth Cassette Store Day take place in a number of countries including the UK, with 16 stores including London’s two Rough Trade shops taking part.  

MORE: The UK's biggest selling vinyl albums and singles of 2017 so far

The UK’s best-selling album on cassette in 2017 is the Guardians of the Galaxy – Awesome Mix 2 soundtrack, with sales of 3,120, confirmed by the Official Charts Company. The collection features classic songs taken from the sequel released this year, including ELO’s Mr. Blue Sky and Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain.

The original Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack has been one of the UK’s most popular albums on vinyl since its 2014 release, with over 70,000 copies sold on the format so far this year alone.

The best-selling artist album on cassette so far in 2017 is Kasabian’s Number 1 record For Crying Out Loud, with 1,026 sales to date. It’s a small but not insignificant figure, given its limited run and exclusive availability on the band’s official website.

"That's the best thing I've ever heard," Serge Pizzorno told OfficialCharts.com "It's quite psychedelic, isn't it? That's put a big smile on my face. 

"It's about fan loyalty, I think. It's about having a physical object. One of your favourite bands has put out an album and you want it on a different format that you can hold in your hands. It's nice to see the sleeve and the artwork in a different way as well."

MORE: The UK's Official Top 40 biggest albums of 2017 so far

Serge explained that some of his earliest music memories were with cassettes, adding: "I remember passing around rave tapes at school. Getting Fantazia 92 and just playing it constantly. That and recording the Top 40 off the radio on cassette so you had all the latest songs." 

"It's just nice to have physical things, isn't it?" he said of the format's mini resurgence. "As amazing as the digital world is, where everything is floating in the air and you can have what you want at any point, you pay for something but you don't have any possession of it. 

"For a new generation, when you haven't got a lot of physical music stuff, it's nice to choose your favourite band and have something you can see and hold and have it in your bedroom. Weirdly, I think it's what a younger generation wants. It's a nice little thing to have as well, it just looks nice. Maybe don't ditch your collection and just buy tapes though, or you'll have a garage full of them."

Other albums released this year that are proving popular on cassette include Enter Shikari’s The Spark, Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott’s Crooked Calypso and Arcade Fire’s Everything Now.

MORE: Classic albums getting reissued in 2017

British rock star Morrissey is the latest artist to see his album get a cassette release; Low In High School is out this week. 

The first albums on cassette arrived in the UK in 1967 and arguably revolutionised how we listened to records. As it was harder to select tracks compared to vinyl, listening to an album serially became a part of music culture.

While these new 2017 numbers show clear growth, it’s worth considering their market context, cassettes still account for significantly less than 1% of the UK albums market today. Whether this current trend turns into a genuine vinyl-style resurgence remains to be seen.  

The Official Cassette Chart 2017 (Year To Date)

POS	TITLE	ARTIST	RELEASE DATE
1	GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY - AWESOME MIX 2	ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK	2017
2	FOR CRYING OUT LOUD	KASABIAN	2017
3	THE SPARK	ENTER SHIKARI	2017
4	CROOKED CALYPSO	PAUL HEATON & JACQUI ABBOTT	2017
5	GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: AWESOME MIX 1	ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK	2014
6	EVERYTHING NOW	ARCADE FIRE	2017
7	ETERNITY IN YOUR ARMS	CREEPER	2017
8	NIGHT PEOPLE	YOU ME AT SIX	2017
9	4:44	JAY-Z	2017
10	WORLD BE GONE	ERASURE	2017
11	SAVAGE (SONGS FROM A BROKEN WORLD)	GARY NUMAN	2017
12	24-7 ROCK STAR S**T	CRIBS	2017
13	POLLINATOR	BLONDIE	2017
14	DAMAGE AND JOY	JESUS & MARY CHAIN	2017
15	RIP IT UP	THUNDER	2017
16	THE PUNISHMENT OF LUXURY	OMD	2017
17	HIPPOPOTAMUS	SPARKS	2017
18	BROKEN MACHINE	NOTHING BUT THIEVES	2017
19	DIFFERENT DAYS	CHARLATANS	2017
20	RELAXER	ALT-J	2017
21	DIFFERENT CREATURES	CIRCA WAVES	2017
22	ALL THESE COUNTLESS NIGHTS	DEAF HAVANA	2017
23	JUMP ON BOARD	TEXAS	2017
24	THE PEACE AND THE PANIC	NECK DEEP	2017
25	LIVE FOR THE MOMENT	SHERLOCKS	2017
26	GENERATION Z	BARS & MELODY	2017
27	THE ROAD - PT 1	UNKLE	2017
28	THE BEST OF	FEEDER	2017
29	HOW DID WE GET SO DARK	ROYAL BLOOD	2017
30	ENGLISH TAPAS	SLEAFORD MODS	2017
31	FREEDOM CHILD	SCRIPT	2017
32	THAT'S YOUR LOT	BLAENAVON	2017
33	RISK TO EXIST	MAXIMO PARK	2017
34	LUST FOR LIFE	LANA DEL REY	2017
35	I LIKE IT WHEN YOU SLEEP FOR YOU ARE SO	1975	2016
36	BLOSSOMS	BLOSSOMS	2016
37	ALL THIS LIFE	STARSAILOR	2017
38	FAVOURITE PLEASURES	GUN	2017
39	MORE MUSIC TO WATCH GIRLS BY	VARIOUS ARTISTS	1999
40	SAFE IN SOUND	LOWER THAN ATLANTIS	2017

©2017 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.