With streaming services and digital downloads, why would anyone buy cassette tapes?

With streaming services and digital downloads, why would anyone buy cassette tapes?

Transcript¹

Audio cassette tapes are selling well — even though they don't sound very good and they are not as retro cool as vinyl records.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Between streaming services and digital downloads, there are so many ways to listen to music in quality. So why would anybody still buy cassette tapes? They're known for being scratchy and hissy and way less cool than vinyl.

(SOUNDBITE OF CASSETTE TAPE WINDING)

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Hear that fast forward sound? Well, that's what happened to the cassette tape business.

STEVE STEPP: Right now, we're selling every inch of tape we make before it comes off the line.

MARTIN: That's Steve Stepp of the National Audio Company in Springfield, Miss.

STEPP: We are the largest manufacturer of the raw cassette tape and of duplicated audio cassettes in the world.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "COME AND GET YOUR LOVE")

REDBONE: (Singing) Hail - what's the matter with your head?

FADEL: The 2014 sci-fi movie "Guardians² Of The Galaxy³" helped the cassette tape comeback. It featured Chris Pratt blasting alien bad guys while listening to an old mixtape. But the cassette market was already trending upward by then. And sales have increased by double digits⁴ every year since 2017. Stepp says his company sold about 25 million cassettes last year.

STEPP: And the market is not one that you would suspect. It isn't old geezers like me. It's the under 35 age group buying audio cassettes now.

LARS GOTRICH, BYLINE⁵: Right beside me, I have tapes, tapes, tapes, tapes.

MARTIN: That's Lars Gotrich of NPR Music. He's one of those young-old people who's a fan of cassette tapes. His home is stuffed full of them.

GOTRICH: So this is Lady Ehepr. She is Oakland-based rapper. This is a Polish black metal artist whose name I can't pronounce (laughter).

MARTIN: He thinks cassettes are appealing because you can hold them in your hand.

GOTRICH: A whole new generation has embraced these little spools⁶ of sound. I'm talking about Generation Z, this is the generation after me. And the way that I think Generation Z thinks about nostalgia⁷, it's not something that has passed, but that is something that can be claimed for the first time. So it is still incredibly fresh to them.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BAD GUY")

BILLIE EILISH: (Singing) So you're a tough guy, like-it-really-rough guy, just can't get enough guy, chest always so puffed⁸ guy.

FADEL: Top musicians, including Billie Eilish, John Mayer and Taylor Swift have released albums on cassette. And independent artists are also gravitating to them.

GOTRICH: The cassette allows cheap duplication. It's cheap to sell. And especially in a time when streaming giants, like Spotify and Apple Music, are basically paying fractions of a fractions of a penny to, like, stream songs, here's an opportunity for artists to take their power back.

FADEL: Who knows? Maybe soon we'll all be dusting off our eight tracks.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BRANDY (YOU'RE A FINE GIRL)")

LOOKING GLASS: (Singing) There's a port.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 guardians   

监护人( guardian的名词复数 )； 保护者，维护者

参考例句：

• Farmers should be guardians of the countryside. 农民应是乡村的保卫者。
• The police are guardians of law and order. 警察是法律和秩序的护卫者。

3 galaxy   

n.星系；银河系；一群(杰出或著名的人物)

参考例句：

• The earth is one of the planets in the Galaxy.地球是银河系中的星球之一。
• The company has a galaxy of talent.该公司拥有一批优秀的人才。

4 digits   

n.数字( digit的名词复数 )；手指，足趾

参考例句：

• The number 1000 contains four digits. 1000是四位数。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The number 410 contains three digits. 数字 410 中包括三个数目字。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 spools   

n.（绕线、铁线、照相软片等的）管( spool的名词复数 )；络纱；纺纱机；绕圈轴工人v.把…绕到线轴上（或从线轴上绕下来）( spool的第三人称单数 )；假脱机（输出或输入）

参考例句：

• I bought three spools of thread at the store. 我在这个店里买了三轴线。 来自辞典例句
• How many spools of thread did you use? 你用了几轴线？ 来自辞典例句

7 nostalgia   

n.怀乡病，留恋过去，怀旧

参考例句：

• He might be influenced by nostalgia for his happy youth.也许是对年轻时幸福时光的怀恋影响了他。
• I was filled with nostalgia by hearing my favourite old song.我听到这首喜爱的旧歌，心中充满了怀旧之情。

8 puffed   

adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧

参考例句：

• He lit a cigarette and puffed at it furiously. 他点燃了一支香烟，狂吸了几口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He felt grown-up, puffed up with self-importance. 他觉得长大了，便自以为了不起。 来自《简明英汉词典》