Cassette tapes are making a comeback

Get your pencils ready, because cassette tapes are officially making a comeback.

That's according to new industry figures showing cassette sales across the UK soared to their highest level in two decades last year, according to new analysis.

During the 12-month period, around 195,000 tapes were sold, representing a yearly growth of 5.2%, the British Phonographic Industry (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.

Vinyl records remain the more popular choice for nostalgic music fans, but new sales figures show cassette tapes are now making a comeback too

But some chart-topping albums, including 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 cassette tapes across the UK last year.

Central Cee, The 1975, and Machine Gun Kelly featured among the other acts to make the top ten list for sales.

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 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.

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