There’s a low-cost way to covet and collect music you like from some of Sydney’s best independent labels and artists that you might not have thought of.
In a world where you can usually download top quality songs very quickly and we all drive cars with radios that were manufactured after the 1990s, why would we ever need to buy a tape? This perspective makes sense but still there is something about the whirring nostalgia of a cassette that is appealing to makers and buyers alike.
Independent labels and artists can dub tapes themselves for cheap and flog them for even cheaper – you’ll rarely pay over $10 for a tape, which is less expensive than some digital downloads. The element of risk is almost eliminated at this price. Decide you don’t like the music? Just tape over it with your memoir WIP. The tape gets ripped out of its case and is now a squid-ink pasta-eque pile on the ground? Just buy another one. The only tricky stuff is where to find good, new ones. Aside from the merch tables at gigs, here is where you can pick up cassettes in Sydney.
Paradise Daily Records: paradisedaily.bandcamp.com/merch
Moontown Records: moontown.bandcamp.com
Repressed Records: http://www.repressedrecordsshop.com/cassettes.irc
Burning Rose: www.burningrose.club/shop/
Altered States Tapes: alteredstatestapes.bigcartel.com/
Dinosaur City Records: www.dinosaurcityrecords.com.au/store/
Sexy Romance Records: sexyromance.bigcartel.com/
Expand your analogue horizons with our guide to Sydney's best record stores.