A number of the British press and online outlets report that cassette tapes also seem to be on the way back, as their sales have now reached a 20-year peak.
A recent survey from The British Phonographic Industry found that cassette tape sales have been rising year on year for the last decade. In 2012, just 3,823 cassettes were sold. By 2022, that annual figure had risen to 195,000.
As FarOut Magazine notes, the best-selling cassette album of the year was Arctic Monkeys’ The Car, which was released in October 2022. Harry’s House by pop singer Harry Styles followed in second place. Florence + The Machine’s Dance Fever was also among the biggest-selling cassette releases, coming in third.
Other top ten artists include Machine Gun Kelly, Blackpink, Robbie Williams, Central Cee and Muse. Interestingly, the year’s Top 20 highest-selling cassette albums were all new releases. Speaking to Sky News, Paul Williams of the British Phonographic Industry said: “Not long ago, people would have written off the cassette, but I think you have to learn the lessons of the vinyl market which had an incredible revival.”
