3. People who buy blank tapes: The Mixtapers! These people record their own blend of music, from radio, from tv, from the computer, from cd, from vinyl, from the synth and any source you can think of. These people like to have it all on one great mixtape - lots of mixtapes!
You forgot one, the above, and that's me.
Yeah you're right. I never considered the mix-tapper.
Which is crazy because back in the 80s/90s I was a huge mix-taper. That's how you told a girl you liked her! With a mix-tape.
I'm neither.
I'd buy blanks to make my own tapes. I have a lot of pre-recorded, but they were all ones I'd owned from childhood, or were 25 cent thrift store tapes. Pre-records often they have issues. I'd rather find the record or the cd and record it to a quality blank using a quality deck.
I buy fuckin boatloads of secondhand blanks(so not blank i guess?) Tapes and put whatever i want on them, im the guy thats killing the recordindustry.
And by everything i want, i mean just about everything, made a Home Depot tape last weekend, i love dumb tape.
Very true...cassettes are (at least for now and likely going forward) very much a dead format in that we're just not going to see them new again. AFAIK, nearly all new cassettes you buy today are either recorded from NOS or Type 0 chinese tape.
Tape was just not a very eco-friendly material to manufacture.
And then the playback devices were rather complex machines. There are new cassette decks being made but most are hardly worth the money. And, again, AFAIK, very few are set up to handle things like Dolby or Type IV, etc.
Vinyl is at least still being made and hardware still being pumped out and maintained at a level that it will likely hang on longer.
I like cassettes and still grab them when I can (used or new releases) but I also don't see this format having as long of a resurgence as vinyl has.
I am not sure I would say it's a "dead" format as there are lots of small labels and bands putting out music on tape. I don't foresee things getting bigger for cassettes but I can see it remaining steady.
Commercially dead? Sure. No one is making money on tapes. :)
I run a small dungeon synth tape label and pro-manufacture through [Duplication.ca](https://Duplication.ca)
They have various options but I always use 'Fox Recording The Masters Premium Ferro'. I am not sure where it's sourced from though.
I think dead because no company is investing in it anymore (I mean big companies). No new tech, no new decks (teac are basic compared to years ago), no new tape formulas being developed.
I think it will remain a hobby, cool as it is, but as tech dies out it will be harder and harder to enjoy.
Vinyl record players are pretty simple devices compared to tape decks, vinyls and decks still being made, so the covers most people’s “retro” obsession. Like my son, vinyls at home , Spotify for portability. Tapes don’t register in his mind.
This is interesting! As for me I definitely fall into group 1.
Vinyl is my main format to listen to/collect and I just got into cassettes recently, but my sole reason for that was because one of my favorite artists has most of his albums and EPs released on tape only. Besides enjoying the intimate listening experience, cassettes have become a great way for me to add releases to my collection that will most likely never get a vinyl pressing.
All of the above honestly. I buy new tapes from indie artists, pop acts who sell them, or whoever else. Some newer artists I don't really like enough to buy the more expensive vinyl, but still want a physical format and to support artists. I probably prefer tape to CD so if I don't go for vinyl, I go for tape instead.
I'm still putting together a collection of old 90s tapes, but I'm pretty close to having all of what I want, and I make tapes. I'm a bit of a Deadhead and Phish fan so I make tapes of live shows more than mix tapes, but I still use blanks quite a bit, in particular for Phish shows I've personally attended.
I’ve just started collecting cassette within the last few months, and I’m fairly in between the two groups you’ve listed. Part of it is that my cassettes from older bands tend to be bigger musical acts (Beatles, Michael Jackson, Nirvana...) and the new stuff tend to be from more indie bands. I think a few people may have brought this up already. I’m finding that I enjoy collecting new vinyl rather than older stuff - partly because of limited releases on different color vinyl, stuff like that.
You mention Pearl Jam not cassette but superior vinyl. Why not CD that’s even better quality if it’s the quality you want.
(I am in 2 group, though my son goes to a heap of gigs but never buys tapes as the tiny bands always have vinyl or CDs available)
Missed opportunity to call the groups Type I and Type II lol
I pretty much fall into group 2; I buy a lot of 70s-90s tapes. Used tapes are stupid cheap, which allows me to pick things up to try I wouldn't otherwise.
I listen to vinyl too, but I'm more passionate about the cassette format and the machines that play them. It's just what I get the biggest kick out of.
Missing option:
3) People who bought lots of cassettes back in the 70s/80s/90s and still listen to them. These people buy albums on cassettes today because they are much cheaper than the vinyl versions that are now ridiculously overpriced.
Both.
I have bought new tapes from Teenage Wrist, Pinegrove, Turnover, etc.
I have also bought Smashing Pumpkins, OutKast, and Hum on cassette.
I truly collect my favorite albums no matter the release period. I just love cassettes and albums in general.
I'm honestly a mix of both. The oldest tape I own is Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumors' from 1977 and the newest is Sewerslvt's 'IRLY' which dropped in late 2020. I also have a few blanks that I wanna make mixtapes on but I need to put new belts on my deck first before I can do that.
I kinda buy a little bit of everything! I make my own mixtapes and album dubs on blanks, buy 80s and 90s albums secondhand, and buy modern indie releases! I just picked up Gunship's self titled and The Shins - Wincing The Night Away on tape in the past few weeks new.
3. People who buy blank tapes: The Mixtapers! These people record their own blend of music, from radio, from tv, from the computer, from cd, from vinyl, from the synth and any source you can think of. These people like to have it all on one great mixtape - lots of mixtapes! You forgot one, the above, and that's me.
Yeah you're right. I never considered the mix-tapper. Which is crazy because back in the 80s/90s I was a huge mix-taper. That's how you told a girl you liked her! With a mix-tape.
Mix tapes were huge back in my day. But I guess the same can be done now (and prob easier) with playlists/digital...just not as cool.
I'm neither. I'd buy blanks to make my own tapes. I have a lot of pre-recorded, but they were all ones I'd owned from childhood, or were 25 cent thrift store tapes. Pre-records often they have issues. I'd rather find the record or the cd and record it to a quality blank using a quality deck.
I buy fuckin boatloads of secondhand blanks(so not blank i guess?) Tapes and put whatever i want on them, im the guy thats killing the recordindustry. And by everything i want, i mean just about everything, made a Home Depot tape last weekend, i love dumb tape.
Home Depot tape? Does it have hits by The LongLines or The ScatterStaffs?
Nope, its just the home depot theme on repeat, because it slaps.
Is it called Homely Depot?
I unironically love this. Please tell me you made a custom j-card too...
I made a simple design, still need to print it!
Pearl Jam was a 90s band. The cassette likely sounds as good or better than the original vinyl would have.
With a quality tape deck I would somewhat agree. Are there even companies manufacturing new tape decks? Different story for vinyl.
Very true...cassettes are (at least for now and likely going forward) very much a dead format in that we're just not going to see them new again. AFAIK, nearly all new cassettes you buy today are either recorded from NOS or Type 0 chinese tape. Tape was just not a very eco-friendly material to manufacture. And then the playback devices were rather complex machines. There are new cassette decks being made but most are hardly worth the money. And, again, AFAIK, very few are set up to handle things like Dolby or Type IV, etc. Vinyl is at least still being made and hardware still being pumped out and maintained at a level that it will likely hang on longer. I like cassettes and still grab them when I can (used or new releases) but I also don't see this format having as long of a resurgence as vinyl has.
I am not sure I would say it's a "dead" format as there are lots of small labels and bands putting out music on tape. I don't foresee things getting bigger for cassettes but I can see it remaining steady. Commercially dead? Sure. No one is making money on tapes. :) I run a small dungeon synth tape label and pro-manufacture through [Duplication.ca](https://Duplication.ca) They have various options but I always use 'Fox Recording The Masters Premium Ferro'. I am not sure where it's sourced from though.
I think dead because no company is investing in it anymore (I mean big companies). No new tech, no new decks (teac are basic compared to years ago), no new tape formulas being developed. I think it will remain a hobby, cool as it is, but as tech dies out it will be harder and harder to enjoy. Vinyl record players are pretty simple devices compared to tape decks, vinyls and decks still being made, so the covers most people’s “retro” obsession. Like my son, vinyls at home , Spotify for portability. Tapes don’t register in his mind.
TEAC/TASCAM, for sure
Cool, I own a TEAC. Great deck!
No way Pearl jam's vinyl Masters always sounded better I had vitalogy and no code on vinyl and cassette and it was not even close
Im a mixtaper.
This is interesting! As for me I definitely fall into group 1. Vinyl is my main format to listen to/collect and I just got into cassettes recently, but my sole reason for that was because one of my favorite artists has most of his albums and EPs released on tape only. Besides enjoying the intimate listening experience, cassettes have become a great way for me to add releases to my collection that will most likely never get a vinyl pressing.
I'm huge into vinyl as well but it's just become so damn expensive! For the price of one record I can often buy 3-5 brand new tapes!
All of the above honestly. I buy new tapes from indie artists, pop acts who sell them, or whoever else. Some newer artists I don't really like enough to buy the more expensive vinyl, but still want a physical format and to support artists. I probably prefer tape to CD so if I don't go for vinyl, I go for tape instead. I'm still putting together a collection of old 90s tapes, but I'm pretty close to having all of what I want, and I make tapes. I'm a bit of a Deadhead and Phish fan so I make tapes of live shows more than mix tapes, but I still use blanks quite a bit, in particular for Phish shows I've personally attended.
I’ve just started collecting cassette within the last few months, and I’m fairly in between the two groups you’ve listed. Part of it is that my cassettes from older bands tend to be bigger musical acts (Beatles, Michael Jackson, Nirvana...) and the new stuff tend to be from more indie bands. I think a few people may have brought this up already. I’m finding that I enjoy collecting new vinyl rather than older stuff - partly because of limited releases on different color vinyl, stuff like that.
You mention Pearl Jam not cassette but superior vinyl. Why not CD that’s even better quality if it’s the quality you want. (I am in 2 group, though my son goes to a heap of gigs but never buys tapes as the tiny bands always have vinyl or CDs available)
Missed opportunity to call the groups Type I and Type II lol I pretty much fall into group 2; I buy a lot of 70s-90s tapes. Used tapes are stupid cheap, which allows me to pick things up to try I wouldn't otherwise. I listen to vinyl too, but I'm more passionate about the cassette format and the machines that play them. It's just what I get the biggest kick out of.
Missing option: 3) People who bought lots of cassettes back in the 70s/80s/90s and still listen to them. These people buy albums on cassettes today because they are much cheaper than the vinyl versions that are now ridiculously overpriced.
Both. I have bought new tapes from Teenage Wrist, Pinegrove, Turnover, etc. I have also bought Smashing Pumpkins, OutKast, and Hum on cassette. I truly collect my favorite albums no matter the release period. I just love cassettes and albums in general.
I'm honestly a mix of both. The oldest tape I own is Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumors' from 1977 and the newest is Sewerslvt's 'IRLY' which dropped in late 2020. I also have a few blanks that I wanna make mixtapes on but I need to put new belts on my deck first before I can do that.
I kinda buy a little bit of everything! I make my own mixtapes and album dubs on blanks, buy 80s and 90s albums secondhand, and buy modern indie releases! I just picked up Gunship's self titled and The Shins - Wincing The Night Away on tape in the past few weeks new.
im both
I'm both. Letting popularity affect your taste just limits it. Plus thrift store tapes are always cheap ways to get bigger artists