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Ep365: The Return of the Cassette Tape

The Vinyl Guide

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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

Listen on Apple: https://apple.co/2Y6ORU0
Listen on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/36qhlc8

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About The Vinyl Guide

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.