Ep365: The Return of the Cassette Tape

The Cassette tape audio format is having a minor renaissance with artists & labels turning to the format in the wake of supply chain issues and a thirst for nostalgia. Today we talk to Jean-Luc Renou, CEO of Recording The Masters - RTM - about this phenomenon and how music lovers should think of the cassette tape.

Topics include:

• Why are cassettes being revisited?
• The history of RTM
• The arc of cassette sales over recent decades
• The difference between cassettes of the 80s and now
• Record Store Day cassettes releases
• Do we start w analogue tape?
• The changing formulas for magnetic tape
• Is there a finite amount of cassette tape?
• The durability of cassettes
• Can I play a cassette decades after last use?
• Common mistakes in caring for cassettes
• Aging parts of a cassette tape
• Sourcing parts for cassette manufacturing
• Were companies making cassettes in the last few decades?
• Number of cassette manufacturers
• Differences in cassette types – formulas, various noise reductions, etc
• The history of the compact cassette format
• The impact of the Sony Walkman
• Was there a cassette format war?
• Who is making cassette players today?
• The niche industry helped cassettes survive the last 30 years
• How long can cassettes last?
• People purchasing cassettes with no means to listen to it
• The biggest challenges to the modern cassette industry
• Cassettes have benefitted due to the vinyl backlog
• Creating pre-recorded cassettes
• Modern demand for reel to reel tapes
• Comments on VHS tape
• Partner network for pre-recorded tapes
• RTM’s new cassette tape player
• Interview wrap up

Extended, High-resolution & Commercial Free version of this interview available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide

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If you like records, just starting a collection or are an uber-nerd with a house-full of vinyl, this is the podcast for you. Nate Goyer is The Vinyl Guide and discusses all things music and record-related