This past weekend on Saturday, September 7th, the world celebrated a technology that many of us thought became obsolete – cassette tapes. International Cassette Store Day, inspired by the larger-scale Record Store Day, brought cassette lovers together to celebrate this growing subculture. For the first time in over a decade, cassette sales have increased, and quite significantly. Leaving Records, Moon Glyphs, Burger Records, Suplex Cassettes, Kissability, and SEXBEAT are just a few international labels specializing in cassette tapes that have experienced higher profits in recent years - up to 40%.
International Cassette Store Day was announced back in July. Launching in London, additional events were scheduled in locations around the world including New York, Chicago, Argentina, Finland, New Zealand, and Tokyo. Planned events included live music, cassette fairs, and tape swaps in addition to a long list of releases.
The three Cassette Store Day founders – Matt Flag, Jen Long, and Steve Rose – all operate their own tape labels. Matt Flag told Rolling Stone, “I came up with the idea on Record Store Day this year, when instead of taking part in the festivities I was sitting at home putting cassette inlays into cases for my friend's band Bad Sports, and figured that it was about time that cassettes had their own day.”
He believes that physical formats such as vinyl and cassettes will be around for the long-term. “The cassette is still a very current format in DIY and underground scenes due to its affordability and ease . . . I also think physical formats will stick around in music as when you are a fan you want more than a digital file. You want something you can interact with that holds a greater worth and reward.”
A new documentary celebrating the cassette tape is in the works. “Cassette” was successfully crowdfunded last year and focuses on the growing community of artists, labels, and fans who appreciate this technology and are instrumental in its renaissance. Check out the trailer here:
Cassette Store Day 2013's Full Release Schedule:
Fucked Up – "Hidden World" (SEXBEAT)
Los Campesinos! - "A Good Night For a Fist Fight Live Album" (Kissability)
The Proper Ornaments – "Demos" (Suplex Cassettes)
Fair Ohs – "Jams Volume 2" (Suplex Cassettes)
Lets Wrestle – "Demo’s" (Suplex Cassettes)
At The Drive-In – "Acrobatic Tenement" (Transgressive)
At The Drive-In – "Relationship Of Command" (Transgressive)
Pulled Apart By Horses – "Pulled Apart By Horses" (Transgressive)
Pulled Apart By Horses – "Tough Love" (Transgressive)
The Flaming Lips – "The Terror" (Bella Union)
Suicidal Tendencies – "Debut" (Burger)
Twink – "Think Pink" (Burger)
Molly Nilsson – "The Travels" (Night People)
The Pastels – TBA (Domino)
Deerhunter - "Monomania" (4AD)
Hard Skin – "On The Balls" (Wichita)
Hard Skin – "Why Do Birds Suddenly Appear" (Wichita)
Spectrals - "Sob Story" (Wichita)
Waxahatchee - "Cerulean Salt" (Wichita)
Gold Panda - "Half Of Where You Live" (Wichita)
V/A – "Faux Discx Compilation" (Faux Discx)
Haim – "Forever EP" (Polydor)
Efterklang – "Tripper" (Blood & Biscuits)
Mum – "Smilewound" (Blood & Biscuits)
Dolphinz – "Pagan Dating" (Tye Die Tapes)
V/A - "Bleed In Gold - The First Three Years Of Art Is Hard" (Art Is Hard)
Fear of Men – "Early Fragments" (Kanine)
The Blow – "The Blow" (Kanine Records)
Bleeding Rainbow - "Yeah Right" (Kanine Records)
Eternal Summers - "Correct Behavior" (Kanine Records)
Teen Suicide – "Waste Yrself" (Birdtapes)
V/A – "Heart Throb Compilation" (Heart Throb)
Animal Collective – "Sung Tongs" (Fat Cat)
His Clancyness – "Covering Up" (Fat Cat)
JJ Doom – "Keys To The Kuffs Butter Edition" (Lex)
Younghusband – "Silver Sisters" (Sonic Cathedral)
Guided By Voices – "English Little League" (Fire / Bad Paintings)
Refrigerator – "Live At The American Legion Hall" (Shrimper)
Xiu Xiu – "Women As Lovers" (Bad Paintings)
Rolo Tomassi – "Astraea" (DLPR)
Volcano Choir – "Repave" (Jagjaguwar)
V/A – "Compilation" (Hate Hate Hate)
Potty Mouth – "The Spins" (Marshall Teller)
Helm - "Orange Tanks" (Where To Now?)
The Casket Girls – S/T (Graveface)
Peter Broderick – "Float 2013" (Erased Tapes)
Bright Light Bright Light – "Make Me Believe In Hope" (Self Raising Records)
Playlounge / YRRS / Birdskulls – "Sick of Hits Vol. 1" (Reeks of Effort)
Sur – "Dog Daze EP" (Mirror Universe)
Spakkiano – "Spakkiano" (Mirror Universe)
Lame Drivers – "Live & Rare" (Mirror Universe)
Laraaji – "Cosmic Tape Experiments 1979 – 1987" (All Saints)
Grape Soda - "Form A Sign" (Hope For the Tape Deck)
Gold-Bears - "Are You Falling In Love?" (Hope For the Tape Deck)
Expwy - "Deep Joy" (Kinnta Records)