Music

Oddest Fact of the Day: The Biggest-Selling Cassette of 2011 in the UK Sold 11 Copies

There was a time in the middle 80s when pre-recorded cassettes were the biggest-selling format for music. Thanks to the popularity of the Walkman and its descendents (along with ever-improving cassette decks in cars), people briefly turned their backs on vinyl and went tape-crazy.

The cassette’s time at the top was short, though.  CDs eventually eclipsed both pre-recorded tape and vinyl and was the dominant format by 1988.

But cassettes still thrive in some parts of the world including Africa, India and parts of SE Asia.  A couple of years ago, I walked into a music store in Ubud, Bali, to see a whole wall of pre-recorded cassettes for sale. Current ones, too.

But the pre-recorded cassette still lives outside developing nations.  According to this report from Music Week, the top-selling pre-recorded cassette in the UK in 2011 was ‘N Sync’s 2000 album, I’ll Never Stop, moving a total of 11 (no, that’s not a typo) copies.  

It was also the biggest-selling cassette in 2010 (13 units) and 2009 (24 units).  

Good for them.  It’s nice to be #1, innit.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 38019 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

Let us know what you think!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.