How Long Can You Expect Your Old Cassette Tapes To Last?
You might not want to keep your old tapes in the attic.
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If you grew up in the 1980s, chances are you had a collection of cassette tapes. Remember those? The media format, about the size of a large stack of credit cards, was the primary way we listened to music in the '80s before being overtaken by CDs in the '90s and eventually streaming services like Spotify. If you're like me, you may still have many of them stored in a shoebox. But how long are these tiny tapes expected to last?
The general belief is about 30 years, but this is based on ideal storage conditions. Cassette tapes will deteriorate over time even under the best conditions since the coating that binds the tapes will eventually lose lubrication and detach. But the primary deciding factor for longevity is storage. I personally have cassette tapes that are...
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