When it comes to retro formats, vinyl seems to be taking the cake. Because as fun as a cassette revival would be, it just doesn't seem to be happening in reality. According to year-2011 stats shared by Nielsen Soundscan, cassettes are enjoying sales of between 0 and
0.1 million units. In terms of shipments, the figure rounds closer to 0.0. Here's US-basedshipment data on cassettes from the last decade or so, as counted by the RIAA (left axis in millions).
Then again, none of this measures the all-important novelty factor, which can be priceless for fan outreach and marketing. That includes some cool cassingle retro releases, regardless of whether your fans have access to a tape deck. The fun also includes some unexpected ideas, like this awesome iPhone cover.
