by
Admin
Published:
01 October 2020 10:12:18
Nostalgia is always on trend. People love retro or iconic and the cassette tape totally fulfils that criteria. 2004 was the last year of significant cassette sales, but recently and particularly since the 40th anniversary of the Sony Walkman in 2019, cassette sales have been on the rise. Artists, such as Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue and Madonna, have all seen sales on cassettes help them achieve higher chart status.
In 2018, CD and vinyl sales accounted for £177m and £57m respectively. Cassette sales did not register, with less than 1% of the market, but 2019 saw the biggest annual cassette sales for 15 years.
Rob Crutchley of the BPI said: “The continuing growth in demand for albums on vinyl and even cassette, now boosted by a new generation of artists such as Billie Eilish and Lewis Capaldi alongside more established heritage acts such as Queen, underlines the enduring appeal of analogue alongside streaming and CD, and the fact there is still a strong core of fans who also value the opportunity to acquire, own or gift recorded music on physical format”.
Sales remain small in the context of the overall music market according to music industry trade body the BPI, representing a miniscule 0.2% of albums sold in the UK this year. However, sales are on a slight increase, up 112% year on year.
Notable releases on cassette in 2020.
- 01 May: Sam Smith - ‘To Die For’ [Capitol]
- 15 May: Jonas Brothers - "X" [Republic]
- 15 June: Jonas Brothers - "What a Man Gotta Do" [Republic]
- 22 June: Bastille - ‘Other People's Heartache, Pt. 4’ [Virgin]
- 28 Aug: Texas - ‘Hi’ (BMG) 04 Sep: Celeste - "Celeste" [Polydor]
At Disc International we have a large amount of cassette styles available, digitally or pad printed and with the shells themselves available in lots of different colours.
Email us now if you want more information for your next release. [email protected]
