Cassettes are a case for themselves as much as they are a tale and sometimes, they are the story itself.
The Format Reborn... by Design
When cassettes came back to the scene, many thought it was just nostalgia.
But something different happened.
Artists and labels of the new generation started viewing cassettes as collectible art items which could be customized and were compact. And in this version of cassette culture, the packaging is no longer secondary. It’s the main event.
“The unboxing is the experience. The music’s just the soundtrack.” — r/cassetteculture post, 2023
Rolo Tomassi’s 4-Track Demo: Where It All Begins
UK band Rolo Tomassi released a 4-track demo in 2005. It wasn’t just a tape. It was a design manifesto.
Some versions were placed in stitched cloth sacks, sealed with string
Others were wrapped in kraft paper and tied with a vintage button
All were hand-numbered, hand-assembled, and wildly inconsistent in the best way
There were only 200 made, and they’ve since become collector grails.
You didn’t just buy a tape. You bought a moment, a piece of a band’s chaotic, DIY world. Every detail made you feel something before you even hit play.
When Labels Became Art Studios
In the cassette revival, independent labels adopted packaging innovations:
Strange Daisy Records
Pizza glitter shells
Matte obi strips with calligraphy
Hand-numbered mini-posters folded into J-cards
Themes ranging from absurdist foodcore to post-internet noir
Their approach feels like opening a zine, a toy, and an album—all at once.
Haord Records
3D printed objects attached to cassette cases
Tapes in rubber sleeves, paint-splattered with DIY chaos
Sometimes includes instruction manuals that don’t explain anything
Their releases are less “music products” and more “interdimensional field reports.”
Already Dead Tapes
Heavy use of screen printing, collage art, and found objects
Editions come with inserts like Polaroids, photocopied zines, or coded notes
Some cassettes are housed in VHS sleeves, books, or even sandwich bags
Each run is ultra-limited, each item slightly different. Intentional imperfection is part of the point.
Why This Shift Happened
When music became infinitely streamable, its physicality disappeared.
What’s the antidote? Tangibility. Scarcity. Craft.
Tapes offered a unique loophole:
Cheap to produce in small batches
Flexible format for radical design choices
Slow, analogue, and deliberate - the opposite of Spotify autoplay
“It’s like buying a painting, not just a playlist.” A collector comment on Instagram.
This shift mirrors what happened in streetwear and indie publishing:
It’s not just about the thing. It’s about how it’s made, how it feels, and the intention behind it.
Tape Packaging Gimmicks That Went Too Hard (And We Love It)
- A Portland ambient artist wrapped tapes in moss and included a tiny vial of forest oil
- A drone musician released 5 copies of a tape sealed in wax, with instructions to burn it open
- A noise act issued a cassette with no case or art, just a note that said “you decide”
- A vaporwave artist packaged their cassette inside an empty juice carton
- One experimental group included a small book of prayers to be read while listening
Are these practical? No. Do they get remembered? Absolutely.
Playing the Unplayable (aka, Don’t Worry)
You might be thinking, “Cool… but how do I actually hear the music inside this moss ball?”
Enter: A2D2 Stream: the modern-day tape deck sidekick.
You plug your old-school cassette player into A2D2 Stream, and suddenly that analogue signal is:
- Transmitting over Bluetooth to your portable speaker
- Using Wi-Fi technology (Sonos, AirPlay, Chromecast) you can stream your content to your Wi-Fi system.
- Or playing through wireless headphones- hiss and all
The visual and sonic experience of obscure cassette culture remains accessible to you through this system without requiring a 80s boombox or 20 feet of RCA cable.
Handmade tape. Wireless playback. Analogue soul, digital ease.
Where to Find These Beautifully Weird Tapes
Zine fairs, independent record stores, and experimental music events
Final Thought:
Cassettes are evolving.
Not into mass-market media, but into collectible art objects.
These tapes speak to listeners in a world where streaming provides unlimited access to music by saying:
Slow down. Touch this. Unfold it. Smell the paper. Hear the hiss.
The star of the packaging transforms the musical tape into something greater than music.
It becomes memory, meaning, and magic.
Related reads:
→ Modern Cassette Artisans
→ Top 5 Most Obscure Cassette Releases
→ Lost Tapes and Collector Conspiracy
→From Singing Fish to Sandpaper Sleeves: The Most Unexpected Vinyl & Cassette Hits
→From the Trunk to TikTok: How Cassette Tapes Made a Comeback