Cassette Tapes

I miss cassette tapes.

The concept of recording songs off the radio is a lost phenomenon. Radio is almost a lost phenomenon at this point. All is now Spotify and Apple Music, and there’s no spontaneously hearing a song and recording it. Instead, I buy music off of Apple Music if I want it permanently or borrow it as long as I never leave Apple Music.

Mix tapes are not really a thing anymore. I can make a mix tape on Apple Music, but I can’t easily share it. I can share the playlist with someone, but they have to go and buy the music. I can’t share with someone who isn’t on Apple Music. I don’t know if Spotify is any different.

There was a certain democratization of music back in the days of cassette tapes. The quality of the music was poor when we recorded off the radio, but we didn’t really notice because of our lower expectations with AM radio.

I’m not one for nostalgia, and I know there are great advantages with services like Apple Music and Spotify, especially the sound quality. But I miss the old-fashioned mix tape and the heartfelt communication it represents.