Are Cassette Tapes Poised For A Comeback?

It's one of the perversities of the digital age that as physical copies of music disappear from the market, some hard-core music enthusiasts have embraced the formats of the past, such as vinyl records. After once almost disappearing from the market, vinyl albums and ep's sold more than 13 million copies in the U.S. in 2016, a 25-year high.

The next hot growth format might be the cassette tape, which increased in sales 74% in 2016, according to recent numbers from Nielsen Soundscan. Granted, that translates to only 129,000 units last year, up from 95,460 in 2015. So cassette tapes remain a small niche of a larger niche of the music industry.

According to Nielsen, the best-selling cassette in 2016 was the soundtrack to "Guardians of the Galaxy," followed by releases from Eminem and Prince.

As for where cassette tape fans can find new titles, the highest-profile retailer for cassettes is Urban Outfitters, which also claims to be the largest vinyl seller in the U.S.

Can a resurgence of the cassingle be far behind?