This Company Is Still Making Audio Cassettes and Sales Are Better Than
Ever
It waited out 20 years of technological advances in audio and is now
cashing in on a movement back to tapes. Dust off your Walkman.
By Jeniece Pettitt
September 1, 2015 — 7:37 AM CDT
The audiocassette tape is not dead. In fact, one Springfield, Mo.,
cassette maker says it has had its best year since it opened in 1969.
“You can characterize our operating model as stubbornness and stupidity.
We were too stubborn to quit,” said National Audio Company President
Steve Stepp.
NAC is the largest and one of the few remaining manufacturers of
audiocassettes in the U.S. The profitable company produced more than 10
million tapes in 2014 and sales are up 20 percent this year.
“Probably the thing that has really enlarged our business at a faster
phase than anything is the retro movement,” Stepp said. "There's the
nostalgia of holding the audio cassette in your hand.”
NAC has deals with major record labels like Sony Music Entertainment
and Universal Music Group as well as a number of small contracts with
indie bands. About 70 percent of the company’s sales are from music
cassettes while the rest are blank cassettes.
“There was a drive from the independent bands to get that warm analog
sound again, and it just continued to grow and grow,” said NAC
Production Manager Susie Brown.
The company still uses machines built in the 1970s in its production
lines.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-01/this-company-is-still-making-audio-cassettes-and-sales-are-better-than-ever
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