America’s Last Cassette Tape Factory Just Had Its Best Sales Year Ever

Music aficionados and hipsters alike will tell you analog music is making a comeback over digital. But not in the medium you might expect. While vinyl has made a resurgence, cassette tapes appear to be on the rise again. National Audio Company, the last cassette factory in the United States, had its best sales year in 2015, and that’s after almost 50 years of business. The Missouri-based company is on target to exceed last year’s sales. Robert Coverston, chief technician at National Audio Company, attributes the cassette tape’s resurgence to the fact that it’s a physical object as opposed to digital music, which is not. Plus, there’s the nostalgia factor. Ironically, though, tapes have been the biggest hit among a much younger group of musicians: garage bands. Watch the video below to learn more about the cassette tape’s resurgence.