The tape revival has been revived. According to Official Charts Company data, UK sales of cassettes dipped slightly in 2024, but in 2025 they rallied, 164,000 units sold, 53 per cent up on the previous year. That’s the highest amount since 2003, according to the Official Charts Company. But it’s still well short of vinyl (7.5 million sold).
The same source says that “cassettes are proving to be a pivotal extra format in the race for Number One album”. They point out Robbie Williams, whose Better Man album sold 21,400 copies on tape. Combined chart sales for the release were 43,000, meaning cassettes made up – an actually quite surprising – 49 per cent of its total sales.
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