Cassette sales peak in almost two decades as Arctic Monkeys fuel retro renaissance

Arctic Monkey Car was the top selling cassette album last year. Photo: Pablo Gallardo/Redferns

Casette sales hit their highest level in nearly two decades as artists including Arctic Monkeys and Harry Styles fuel demand for the retro format.

According to the British Phonographic industry (BPI), in 2022, UK cassette sales grew by more than 5 per cent to reach 195,000, marking the tenth consecutive year of growth.

While cassettes remain only a small part of the entire music market, sales are at their highest level since 2003, when the Now That I Call Music compilations and Irish singer Daniel O'Donnell's best-selling album were the two most popular tracks.

< p>This follows the recent surge in popularity of vinyl surpassing CD sales for the first time in 35 years in 2022 as younger listeners are the driving force behind the retro renaissance.

Sophie Jones, Acting Executive Director of BPI, said: “For many of us growing up, tapes were a rite of passage when we listened to our favorite artists. So it's encouraging that this once much-loved format is back in vogue, even if it still makes up a tiny fraction of overall music consumption.

«While streaming is the leading format today, the resurgence in popularity of cassettes and vinyl highlights the continued importance of the physical market and the many ways fans should consume music.»

'Harry's House', the latest album from former One Direction star Harry Styles, also helped boost cassette sales. Images

Arctic Monkeys had the best-selling cassette last year with Sheffield Quartet The Car's seventh album ahead of Harry Styles' Harry Styles House, which was the best-selling album in all formats.

Florence and The Machine, Muse , Robbie Williams and The 1975 were among other top ten acts.

All but two of the top 10 selling cassettes sold over 5,000 units during the year.

Along with With new releases, music lovers have also purchased reissues of classic albums such as Iron Maiden's The Number Of The Beast, which was reissued on cassette last year to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

Original Soundtrack from 2014 Marvel Movie Guardians of the Galaxy, which included tracks by 10cc, David Bowie and Marvin Gaye, also enjoyed strong sales.

The renewed interest in cassettes marks a turn towards a format that has dominated the UK album market. between 1985 and 1992 before being overtaken by CDs.

By 2012, total annual cassette sales fell below 4,000, after which the recovery peaked in 2020, with sales nearly doubling in one year up to 160,000