The latest news and features on the audio cassette tape
February 2024
Life, unplugged: a no-tech special
‘When you use a Walkman all the memories come back’: the people still in love with old tech
Cassette players and tapes, vintage Game Boys and boomboxes seem like relics of a bygone era. So why are they being snapped up, sometimes for eye-watering prices?
December 2023
Taylor Swift and Rolling Stones drive Christmas surge in UK vinyl sales
More than 250,000 vinyl records were sold last week, the most since the turn of the century
November 2023
‘It was a way to share your musical experiences’: why cassette tapes flourished, and still endure
Two new books explore the history of the tape and how it helped spread hip-hop, thrash metal and experimental music around the world one mixtape at a time
August 2023
Musical portraits that rewind to the cassette era – in pictures
A cupboard clearout inspired artist Amy Corson to start a 10-year art project using magnetic tape
April 2023
‘Such a fun way to consume music’: why sales of the ‘obsolete’ cassette are soaring
Tell us: do you use a cassette player or Walkman?
November 2022
‘My friends call me the BlackBerry queen!’ Meet the people clinging on to old tech – from faxes to VCRs
The singles chart at 70
From vinyl to streaming: music writers on how they consumed the Top 40
January 2022
‘A journey through the past’: lost music of the Palestinian uprising is restored
Mo’min Swaitat uncovered 10,000 tapes in the West Bank during lockdown, and digitised Riad Awwad’s intifada album
August 2021
Writers notes: the record label remixing novels into music
Fiction has been adapted into popular films and TV for years – but now there is growing interest in bespoke scores for novels
March 2021
Lou Ottens obituary
'Mixture of Jane's trendy records!!!': discover readers' cherished mixtapes
Thank you for the music, Mr Ottens. Nothing will ever top the mixtape
Barbara Ellen
Tell us: what is your most cherished mix tape?
February 2021
‘Right now I’m into Libyan reggae’: the music label delving into the Arab world's back catalogue
Jannis Stürtz has trawled Casablanca and rooted around a factory in Sousse for music. The Habibi Funk founder talks about his passion for Tunisian disco, Sudanese jazz and Lebanese soft rock
January 2021
UK music streaming hits a high note amid the lows of Covid
Lewis Capaldi leads the way as format accounts for more than 80% of music consumption in 2020
November 2019
Cassette tape revival: a seductive format, or object fetishism?
Back in the loop: why cassette tapes became fashionable again
February 2019
It’s cool to spool again as the cassette returns on a wave of nostalgia
Sales are soaring and current stars are releasing tracks on the format… but is anyone actually listening to them?
November 2017
Collectors' corner: book and music libraries – in pictures
With sales of vinyl and print on the up, British artist Mark Vessey celebrates the joy of personal, physical collections
