And yet the cassette is back. Sales in the U.S. grew 23% in 2018, according to Nielsen Music, with 219,000 tapes sold in 2018 compared with 178,000 in 2017, Pitchfork reported.

CHANG: That catchphrase persisted, but the cassette tape - well, less so. Cassettes, though, are making a small comeback, thanks in part to a family-run company in southern Missouri.

Now it’s the humble cassette tape’s turn. In 2020, cassette tapes sales were up 33%, according to Discogs. And sales are up at music stores around Colorado Springs.

The cassette tape was created in the 1960s and became a household staple in the 1980s with the rise of Sony's Walkman, when music became “on the go.” Now after the digital music revolution ...

The driving force behind this comeback appears to simply be nostalgia. Cassettes were the most popular audio format in the 80’s, enjoying a decade of dominance before getting erased by CD’s.

CHANG: That catchphrase persisted, but the cassette tape - well, less so. Cassettes, though, are making a small comeback, thanks in part to a family-run company in southern Missouri.

CHANG: That catchphrase persisted, but the cassette tape - well, less so. Cassettes, though, are making a small comeback, thanks in part to a family-run company in southern Missouri.