Category: Tape Cassette Knowledge Base

If you found us we know, we can trust you. This website is the safe place for tapes!

This website was created to share information as well and provide resources for those who love cassettes on how to obtain,  use and enjoy them. There are three reasons the resurgence of tapes is vital for music history.

1. Preservation

There was a point that vinyl records were not made anymore. It was at the beginning of the time frame that cassettes were created. Of course with history, things are taken over by new products and the old become obsolete only to become relevant again. In some situation artist particularly in the hip-hop and independent rock would record content only available by tape. They may not have had enough funds or a record label signing to have an entire record press or even cd. Believe it or not, there was a time that CDs were unobtainable by some people. It’s essential to make sure we can preserve the tapes from being lost forever. Other people did some similar things like Hi How Are You’s musician Daniel Johnston. He is very well known for the fantastic cassettes he produced in his home. Wu-Tang Clan and Academy day Award-winning hip-hop group three6mafia also generated a ton of mixes which are very rare to find. If we lose these tapes as a music society, we sometimes have pieces of music history that are never heard again. Believe it or not, you can still find bands that create original recordings at their concerts allowing people to relive the moments.

2. Nostalgia

Nostalgia is a perfect reason to do anything. Memories are sometimes a tough thing to tap. You might remember the first time you bought a cassette tape. Perhaps you had your kid version of a tape cassette that you were able to use in

Nostalgia is a perfect reason to do anything. Memories are sometimes a tough thing to tap. You might remember the first time you bought a cassette tape. Perhaps you had your kid version of a tape cassette that you were able to use in

the car to jam to your tunes while your parents listened to that old people music.
It can give you a sense of understanding of people before you as well as something to appreciate for the technology you have now.

3. Quality

There is a rumor that started a while ago that the quality of cassettes is terrible. Before vinyl became cool again, there was a point that people said records were considered horrible. You may not realize this, but the way you listen to your analog (non-digital) music might be contributing to the sound quality you hear. If you are using a weak quality record player or cassette player, the sound you hear may be horrible. Sometimes if you listen to your digital music, you can notice that with dinky headphones the sound might be wrong. It’s not your digital device as all digital quality is some of the standards there is a high likelihood that it’s your headphones. If you have a good set of headphones or speakers with an excellent record player you may notice that the sound quality is excellent. It’s all a matter of the condition of the tape as well as the equipment and player you use.

The tape cassettes are coming back into relevance.

1. Guardians of the Galaxy

In 2014 the cult classic Marvel movie became the catalyst for the resurgence of tape cassettes. It takes an excellent film to create a pop culture movement. One of the primary objects and part of the storytelling was the central charge Star Lord’s tape cassette with Awesome Mix Tape Volume 1. When you have a fantastic character using something so quirky in outer space which create his only real connection to Earth it says a lot. This movie was one of the few that joined multiple generations from the ones who first heard of Guardians of the Galaxy to those who became exposed to it for the first time. When you try to explain to a kid what a tape cassette is you can now use the example of the movie and how the main character used it. Instantly the kids who saw the movie will ultimately understand as if it was something they grew up among.

2. Justin Bieber

There only seems to be people who hate Justin Bieber or those who love him. Regardless of your perspective on the musician, he has an impact on pop culture. In this instance, his contributions have caused a spark in sales in tape cassettes. Justin Bieber released Purpose on cassette tape.

It’s very hot right now, and in the trendy places around the world, people are buying cassette tapes quicker than ever. Ironically this cassette is super hard to find.

 

 

3. Vinyl Got Too Trendy

For some individuals who have been collecting for years, they are finding it harder and harder to find records at a good deal. Vinyl records are in high demand and there supply at times tends to cause an overabundance easily found items and a sparsity of highly sought items.

In some situations, collectors enjoy the search and hunt for finding good deals and treasure. The term crate digging was stemmed from the first digging for treasure. Sometimes you can find excellent deals however now with the way things are going it’s harder to see a diamond. Cassette tapes allow diggers to find still great music that is tangible and might be overlooked by the untrained eye.

1. Has the tape cassette been tested?

Asking if a tape cassette was tested is a fundamental question to ask.

Unless you know it has been tested, you may be taking a considerable risk. Though it is very unlikely tapes may be blank after exposure to things that may strip the information off of it. They also might not be able to rewind or play forward. There is another possibility that the sound is distorted or muted.

2. Is the tape stretched?

If a tape is stretched this means that the tape is not going to sound the way it initially did. Sometimes this happens when the cassette is latched onto something and pulled. Other times it can be caused by being stuck in a tape deck then aggressively pulled out. With time the tape may become stretched out on its own from an extensive amount of usage.

3. Is the sponge in the cassette?

When you look at a cassette tape on the part where the tape is exposed, you may see a small sponge under the tape.

If you know this sponge, it is a great thing. Any tape cassette that does not have that sponge is virtually unusable. Even if the tape is tested and is claimed to work unless you see the sponge, it would be recommended to ask on the sponge condition

 

If you’d like to purchase tape cassettes from tapecassettes.com, please see our live eBay listings below. Our products have had the three questions already answered!