The Cassette turns 50

Source: MW

by TINA HART

 

Philips, the brand behind Compact Cassette technology, celebrated the format's 50-year anniversary at the weekend.

 

On the golden anniversary of the cassette, Philips said in a statement: "As a company rooted in continuing our commitment to meaningful innovation, few inventions have been as culturally meaningful in the last 50 years as the compact cassette.

 

"It provided a portable and inexpensive way to capture moments in time and ultimately, helped shape the music industry, popular culture, politics, and the way we live today."

 

For more information, including the history of the cassette, its impact on popular culture, archived photos and advertisements, visit www.cassette50.com.

 

 

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Anyone still owns cassettes, got a few, mainly cassette singles.

I've still got a box full in my bedroom :lol:

 

I miss the old days when a cassette single cost 99p and I'd save up my money and go into HMV on a Saturday and buy a single! Or the really good days in Woolworths looking at the discount tapes for 29p, I used to get loads on those occasions!!!

Slightly late to the party...

 

Does anyone know what the last mainstream single to be released on cassette was? I've narrowed it down to Girls Alouds Jump, S Club 8's Don't Tell Me You're Sorry, and Busted's Crashed The Wedding.

 

Can anyone contribute?

Confusingly Music Week said there were no top 75 singles including cassette sales from Elton John's 'Are You Ready For Love' (September 2003) to the gimmick release of Feeder's 'Borders' (February 2012), but the three you've mentioned all seem to have had a cassette release (and charted top 75) so god knows what the situation is there.

 

Until 'Borders' changed things in 2012, the top selling cassette of 2009, 2010 and 2011 was, bizarrely, 'I'll Never Stop' by N'Sync (2000) which sold about a dozen copies each year - somewhere there's a music shop in the UK who must have a ton of them!

I have three Tori Amos cassette singles. Everything else Iv'e got rid of.

I have boxes full of cassettes!

I have boxes full of cassettes!

I've got quite a few cassette singles though admittedly I haven't played any of them for years!

I got rid of all mine.

 

Used love recording the top 40 and recording songs I liked then buying them.

I'm almost certain that I bought the last ever music cassette ever sold in the WHSmith branch in Brent Cross - a tape version of 'Now That's What I Call Music 58' in December 2007 (so it was already three years old) being sold off for £3, the only tape on a shelf entirely full of CDs. They seemed antiquated even then and it's surprising how quickly they fell from popularity in the mid-noughties.

 

Audio tapes of radio shows etc carried on a bit longer, I bought a fair few on sale in central Birmingham's WHSmith in December 2008.

Edited April 8, 201411 yr by BillyH

I'm almost certain that I bought the last ever music cassette ever sold in the WHSmith branch in Brent Cross - a tape version of 'Now That's What I Call Music 58' in December 2007 (so it was already three years old) being sold off for £3, the only tape on a shelf entirely full of CDs. They seemed antiquated even then and it's surprising how quickly they fell from popularity in the mid-noughties.

 

 

Wow. I though they'd fallen from popularity in 2000/2001.

I only used to really buy blank cassettes and tape songs from the top 40 - the equivalent then of illegal downloading.

I only used to really buy blank cassettes and tape songs from the top 40 - the equivalent then of illegal downloading.

Yeah I used to do that. I've got hundreds of cassettes up in the attic!

Now 63 was the last to be released on cassette in 2006!!

 

Some Indonesian countries still released cassette albums until 2008, I have copies of the first 3 Girls Aloud albums, plus Britney's Blackout & Circus on cassette, all official releases.

 

What I loved/hated about cassette singles was that you sometimes got a B-Side/Remix that was exclusive to the format. I've recently been going through all my tapes from 2000-2003 and uploading said tracks on Youtube for all to enjoy (so if you have any request....)

 

I'd love to know what the last mainstream (and not for retro/hipster reasons) release was, I don't think any singles were released on tape in 2004, so it has to be a Dec 2003 release.

Didn't Feeder release a cassette a cool of years ago (not sure exactly when) that sold something like 300-400 copies? :lol: it must have been on their site not in shops but still, i remember reading that.

Didn't Feeder release a cassette a cool of years ago (not sure exactly when) that sold something like 300-400 copies? :lol: it must have been on their site not in shops but still, i remember reading that.

It's mentioned in this very thread Liam :P

 

Confusingly Music Week said there were no top 75 singles including cassette sales from Elton John's 'Are You Ready For Love' (September 2003) to the gimmick release of Feeder's 'Borders' (February 2012), but the three you've mentioned all seem to have had a cassette release (and charted top 75) so god knows what the situation is there.

 

Until 'Borders' changed things in 2012, the top selling cassette of 2009, 2010 and 2011 was, bizarrely, 'I'll Never Stop' by N'Sync (2000) which sold about a dozen copies each year - somewhere there's a music shop in the UK who must have a ton of them!

 

 

 

Didnt really get involved in the cassette thing, I was a blank cassette buyer who taped my fav songs. the only release have (which my parents brought) was the NOW Xmas album from 1983. They just didnt seem as valuable as cds!

To my understanding Culture Beat Mr Vain was the final single in the era to be released as a cassette single? I know one off's and special releases have occurred since (Feeder) as mentioned, but mainstream i think Culture Beat was the last single.

The Mr. Vain Recall version, released in Sept 2003?

 

If so, I don't think it was as lots of artists released cassette singles after that, Britney, Amy Studt, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Blazin' Squad, Justin Timberlake to name a few.

 

So far, the latest one I have is Girls Aloud's Jump, which was released in late Nov 2003. However, apparently S Club 8's Don't Tell Me You're Sorry was released on tape, though I've ever seen one, and that was released in December.

My last bought cassette bought was Kylie's 'Fever' back in 2002! Since that - everything is CD!

 

Shame I've lost it - would've been a great part of childhood memories.

To my understanding Culture Beat Mr Vain was the final single in the era to be released as a cassette single? I know one off's and special releases have occurred since (Feeder) as mentioned, but mainstream i think Culture Beat was the last single.

 

You're thinking of 7" vinyl - Mr Vain was the first number one not to be available on 7", back in September 1993, though of course there's been ones since.

 

The first not to be on vinyl at all was Celine Dion's 'Think Twice' in February 1995, and the first not to be available on CD single (or physically at all) was Coldplay's 'Viva La Viva' in June 2008, though it got an international physical release. God knows what the first not to be available on cassette was.