From videos by Frank Ocean to the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, tapes have become increasingly prominent in cinema, advertising, and, of course, the music industry. And as tape sales in the US grew by 74 percent last year, there is no doubt that it is time to address past, present and future of the Compact Cassette as icon of popular culture. New generations of individuals, record labels and DIY communities are rediscovering its unique characteristics, adapting them to a contemporary context. In the age of soulless MP3s and similar digital formats there is a real appreciation for the physical qualities of an item that can be collected, exchanged and individually designed. This volume covers themes such as recording and design, distro as distribution source, interviews, and provides a step-by-step manual to conducting your own tape experiments

• Cassettes are back! The rise, fall and rise of the compact cassette
• Tape story: the invention that made modern music possible
• Weapons of a generation: the boombox & the Walkman
• Choose the right boombox: a buying guide / by Max Poser, My Radio Berlin
• Cassette culture: Borrow it. Use it give it back
• The edge of sound: Al Margolis
• I try not to be negative about the cassette thing: R. Stevie Moore
• Tapeheads today
• Tapehead interview: Sean Bohrman
• Tapehead interview: Arlen Dilsizian
• Anatomy of a cassette
• Glue of the world
• Number 9 it: experimental tape music
• You hold it in your hands: William Basinski
• The practice of sound: Rinus van Alebeek
• Tape futures