Gen Z is an interesting bunch. Opting for blurry photos and bringing back JNCO jeans.

The 90's are back.

You've completely missed the point.

You grew up in a world where the quirks of analog formats were nothing but technical limitations to be overcome. It is true that a FLAC is literally superior in every way to a Vinyl if your value function only takes in cost, quality, and convenience.

HOWEVER Gen Z grew up in a world where music was always cheap and convenient to access. We also (mostly) grew up in a world of touchscreens and always-online gadgets and doodads. My generation's first portable music player was often the iPod touch. You know what all of that does to a person? It creates a deep craving for tactile feedback. For technology that doesn't nag with software updates, for music that can't be "unlicensed" and pulled from your library remotely, for a music player that you can touch and feel and interact with in a more meaningful way than tapping on the little square of glass that already runs our lives. For the little rituals that have been stripped away, like flipping a vinyl at the midway point or rewinding a tape.

The entire point of analog is that it's "worse". It's un-clinical, it's raw, it's tactile, it's physical. Listening to my favorite albums on vinyl is such a better experience than through the disembodied shuffle of my phone. I don't crave maximum audio fidelity or convenience because I always could have those things literally whenever I want.

Swift is a billionaire. She did not become a billionaire by releasing her albums in single formats. Streaming, cds, multiple collector editions in vinyl and now cassettes. Agree writes music to appeal to the most people possible and then creates as many different sources for her fans to give her money as she can.

What does fake nostalgia mean?

Another one of those pointless articles... Cassettes have been on the rise for a couple of years now, and for the same reasons that vinyl has been making a comeback; mainly fake nostalgia and the yearning for true ownership in form of physical media.

As a vinyl snob, listening to music on that medium isn't better. The quality is at best a little worse than what you get from a CD, it's inconvenient, bloody expensive and it takes up space.

BUT you get to actually hold the music you love in your hands and listen to it more intently, because you've made the effort of putting on a record instead of just pressing play. I like that.

Edit: just realised I just made the same points the article made... oh well. I'll just continue archiving my CD collection. Not (only) for posterity, but as a big middle finger to the RIAA.

That is by design. Unwanted noise is shit. A large part of the electronic pathways were noise and other unwanted signals removers

When Taylor Swift’s releases her new album, “Life of a Showgirl,” in October, it can be heard on the usual places, including streaming, vinyl and…cassette tape?

The cassette tape was once one of the most common ways to listen to music, overtaking vinyl in the 1980s before being surpassed by CDs. But the physical audio format has become an artifact of a bygone era, giving way to the convenience of streaming.

Or, that’s what many thought.

In 2023, 436,400 cassettes were sold in the United States, according to the most recent data available from Luminate, an entertainment data firm. Although that’s a far cry from the 440 million cassettes sold in the 1980s, it’s a sharp increase from the 80,720 cassettes sold in 2015 and a notable revival for a format that had been all but written off.

Cassettes might not be experiencing the resurgence of vinyls or even CDs, but they are making a bit of a comeback, spurred by fans wanting an intimate experience with music and nostalgia, said Charlie Kaplan, owner of online store Tapehead City.

“People just like having something you can hold and keep, especially now when everything’s just a rented file on your phone,” Kaplan told CNN.

“Tapes provide a different type of listening experience — not perfect, but that’s part of it. Flip it over, look at the art and listen all the way through. You connect with the music with more of your senses,” he said.

the point is feeling like it's superior when it objective isn't as some sort of form of teenage rebellion or something.

not any different in the 90s when everything was CDs and that the few 'cool' kids were still using records as a FU to 'the man'. and wearing 70s clothing styles.

It's all about making yourself feel special.

Well you hardly have a leg to stand on about "feeling superior" when you're out here being smug about criticizing harmless tastes.

I don't see how listening to vinyls in the privacy of my own home is considered performative, but if that's the only reasoning you're willing to entertain... Well go right ahead, I thought I made a good case for it but I guess I was wrong and I am buying vinyls for the clout.

oh maybe, i'm not actually a Swift fan. i'm just here for cassette talk. XD

i tend to get my new cassettes for around €7-€12.

Me neither honestly, I just know she seems to have a massive following of fans that will do or pay anything that she touches lmao
But it would be cool to buy some in general. I can't remember how many times I listened to one Joan Jett tape as a kid