Taylor Swift’s New Album Is Dropping… on Cassette?!

Published August 20, 2025

Taylor Swift is about to take us back to the days of Walkmans, tangled tape, and using a pencil to rewind your favourite song.

Her upcoming album, Life of a Showgirl, drops in October — and alongside streaming and vinyl, it’s coming out on… cassette tape. Yep, cassette. Like the ones currently living in a dusty shoebox in your parents’ basement.

Cassette Comeback?

Once upon a time (the 1980s), cassettes ruled the music world, selling 440 million copies in their prime. Then CDs arrived, then iPods, then streaming, and the humble cassette was left for dead beside the VCR.

But apparently, they’re making a low-key comeback. In 2015, only 80,720 tapes were sold in the U.S. By 2023? That number jumped to 436,400. Okay, it’s not quite vinyl-level cool, but it’s definitely more than the “hipster niche” people expected.

Why Tapes?

Turns out, it’s about vibes. Charlie Kaplan, owner of Tapehead City, says people love the tangible experience — flipping the tape, staring at the tiny album art, and committing to listening to the whole thing instead of skipping tracks every 12 seconds. Nostalgia is the feature, not the bug.

Who’s Buying Them?

Surprisingly, it’s not just your uncle still driving a Pontiac Sunfire. Gen Z is fuelling the tape revival. The biggest cassette sales in 2025 have come from pop stars like Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, and Charli XCX. Apparently, the kids are alright… with analog.

And this isn’t even Taylor’s first tape rodeo:

1989 (Taylor’s Version) sold 17,500 cassettes in 2023.
Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) sold 11,500.

So if you’re wondering, “Who’s buying these?” The answer is: Swifties, Gen Z nostalgics, and anyone who wants to feel like they’re living in a John Hughes movie.

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