When Taylor Swift releases her new album, Life of a Showgirl, in October 2025, fans can enjoy it on streaming platforms, vinyl, and, surprisingly, cassette tapes.
Once a dominant music format in the 1980s, cassettes were overtaken by CDs and later eclipsed by streaming. However, the format is seeing a revival, with 436,400 cassettes sold in the U.S. in 2023, per Luminate data—a significant jump from 80,720 in 2015, though far below the 440 million sold in the 1980s.
This resurgence, less pronounced than vinyl’s, is driven by nostalgia and a desire for tangible music experiences, according to Charlie Kaplan of Tapehead City. “Tapes offer a hands-on, imperfect listening experience—flipping the tape, admiring the artwork, engaging more senses,” Kaplan told CNN.
Superfans, who make up 18% of U.S. music listeners and engage with artists through streaming, concerts, and physical purchases, are fueling this trend. These fans, mostly Gen Z, spend $39 monthly on music, 105% more than average, with top 2025 cassette sales led by artists like Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, and Charli XCX. Nine percent of Gen Z listeners bought a cassette in the past year, per Luminate.