Originally conceived in the UK, last year’s inaugural Cassette Store Day obviously didn’t have the same financial or cultural impact as its big brother, Record Store Day. Still, more than 28 shops — including Rough Trade in London — got involved by carrying around 50 limited-edition tape releases. Now, you’re probably wondering what a “cassette store” is, and how that might be different from your typical record store. But tape stores are spreading faster than froyo parlors, baby, and this year’s Cassette Store Day promises to be bigger than ever.
This September 27 — also my brother Andrew’s birthday, who is indifferent to cassettes, so please don’t buy him any — both the UK and US will have stores participating in the event, with Fullerton, California label and shop Burger Records handling the US festivities. Speaking on behalf of the holiday, Burger stated, “We’ve built our foundation on the forgotten format and have been preaching the merits of warm analog cassette culture for years. We’re honored to be ambassadors of Cassette Store Day 2014 in the good ol USA!” Burger, the honor is ours. And if there’s anything more American than a record label called Burger expressing their love for a niche media format, then God bless ‘em. Plus, tapes are so much easier to ship after you sell them on eBay, right? Everyone wins.
• Cassette Store Day: http://cassettestoreday.com
• Burger: http://www.burgerrecords.org
