Cassette tapes are making a big comeback 

Cassette tapes are making a comeback, according to new industry figures.

From data collected by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), figures show cassette sales across the UK soared to their highest level in two decades last year, according to new analysis.

During the 12-month period of 2022, around 195,000 tapes were sold, representing a yearly growth of 5.2%, the BPI said.

Research from the firm showed that on ten occasions in 2022 cassette sales accounted for more than 10% of purchases for the No.1 album, in the weekly Official Albums Chart.

As ’80s and ’90s nostalgia can be seen being recycled in modern fashions, and with films and bands making comebacks — such as Jurassic Park and Backstreet Boys — so have older technologies such as the use of cassette tapes.

Vinyl records remain the more popular choice for retro-loving music fans, but new sales figures show cassette tapes are now making a comeback too — looks like we’re rewinding to the 20th century!

But thanks to some major artists releasing their music on the nearly extinct format, some chart-topping albums like Florence + The Machine’s Dance Fever, and 5SOS5 by 5 Seconds of Summer, sold more copies on cassette than on vinyl when they debuted at the top of the charts.

More than a fifth of each album’s first week chart sales were claimed by cassette tapes.

The Car by Arctic Monkeys and Harry Styles’ Harry’s House ranked as the albums which sold the most cassettes tapes across the UK last year.

Central Cee, The 1975 and Machine Gun Kelly featured among other artists and bands that also made the top ten list for sales — generating a revival of the decades old relic.

All but two of the top ten sellers recorded more than 5,000 cassette sales during the year. Cassettes dominated the musical album market in the 1980s and ’90s before being knocked off the top spot by CDs. In 2012, annual sales of cassettes dropped below 4,000 units.

But purchases of the retro format have regained popularity in recent years, with sales growing for a tenth consecutive year in 2022.

Two-years-ago cassette purchases nearly doubled in size, jumping from 80,000 units to around 160,000.