Members of Gen Z are embracing classic cassette tapes, even if they can’t quite figure out how to play them yet. Amy Campbell, 26, recently bought her first cassette tape, only to find out she had no clue how to use it. “You have to keep fast-forwarding, rewinding, pausing, and playing to find the right song you want,” she said. Gen Z — raised on streaming services like Spotify — are now getting a crash course in the ‘80s technology. Modern stars like Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, and Charli XCX are fueling the trend by releasing new music on the format. Cassette tape sales are on the rise, with over 430,000 sold in the U.S. last year — 5 times the number from a decade ago. For some, the appeal of cassettes lies in their unique sound quality, while others appreciate the lower price point compared to vinyl and the portability for travel. Still others aren’t happy about the resurgence, citing the amount of plastic used to make them. The cassette tape was developed by Philips in the early 1960s, but its heyday came 2 decades later when the popularity of the Sony Walkman helped to drive sales.
