Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

Cassette Tapes Still Rocking (in England)

by Warren Riddle on May 18, 2009 at 01:07 PM


Despite the current recession, some companies and industries remain not only unaffected by discerning shoppers, they're actually thriving. One such industry forging through the difficult economic landscape might come as a complete shock to many consumers, though. Cassette tapes, which many people gave up for dead years ago, still appeal to many consumers, and their sales have actually increased over the last year, according to Craig Hill of tape manufacturer TDK, who was speaking to Sky News.


Hill attributed the continued allure in cassettes to frugal shoppers who still have tape decks in their cars and houses, but haven't upgraded or replaced them because of tightened budgets. As a result, specialty companies and small business owners are enjoying a revenue boost because corporate music stores don't typically provide the enduring product.

We should mention that those increased sales figures are for the UK, and we're not entirely sure how well cassette tapes are selling in the U.S. (other than in prisons). Regardless, It's nice to know that, at least in some parts of the world, the format isn't entirely dead. We still have our car tape deck, the adapter for which, in our opinion, still provides the highest quality sound for any MP3 player. We'll have to watch for the next neglected past market giant to make a comeback, but we're pretty sure 8-tracks and Betamax won't be joining their cassette tape brother. [From: Sky News]

Tags: business, cassette, cassettes, retrotech, top, uk

Comments

1

Add your comments

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.

To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular