Cassette Tapes by Eminem and Others Rose in Popularity in 2017
Not only was streaming big in 2017, but niche formats like vinyl and cassettes rose in popularity as well.
According to Nielsen Music ( Billboard), music fans bought cassette albums by their favorite artists. Last year, cassette album sales rose by 35 percent to 174,000 copies sold. In 2016, there were 129,000 sold.
Among the 10 titles that were big sellers in the cassette format included The Guardians the Galaxy's mixtape-styled soundtracks (Vol. 1 and Vol. 2) and Eminem’s The Eminem Show. Prince and the Revolution's Purple Rain soundtrack and Kanye West’s Yeezus also sold well in 2017.
Last year, several artists dropped limited-edition cassette versions their respective albums. Rapper Lil Uzi Vert released Luv Is Rage 2 cassette exclusively at Urban Outfitters. You can currently cop a cassette JAY-Z's album 4:44 on Virgin EMI's webstore. Other rappers like Tyler, the Creator (Flower Boy) and DJ Khaled (Grateful) also released cassettes their albums.
Check out Nielsen Music's cassette sales list below.
Top 10 Selling Cassette Albums 2017 in U.S.(Sales in Parentheses)
1. Soundtrack, Guardians the Galaxy, Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol. 2 (19,000)
2. Soundtrack, Guardians the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 (15,000)
3. Soundtrack, Guardians the Galaxy: Cosmic Mix, Vol. 1 (5,000)
4. Soundtrack, Stranger Things, Volume One (3,000)
5. Eminem, The Eminem Show (3,000)
6. Various Artists, The Hamilton Mixtape (3,000)
7. Prince and the Revolution, Purple Rain (Soundtrack) 2,000]
8. Twenty One Pilots, Blurryface (2,000)
9. Kanye West, Yeezus (2,000)
10. Nirvana, Nevermind (2,000)
