Great news for cassette lovers! RecordingTheMasters, the worldwide leader in reel-to-reel tape manufacturing, is rebranding itself as RTM. RTM continues to expand their presence in the cassette tape marketplace, with upcoming plans for its own exclusive duplication facilities which are slated to be fully operational by the end of 2022. The new duplication facilities will enable RTM to manufacture large runs of their RTM C-60 and RTM C-90 high-quality audio cassettes, offering best-in-its-class sound quality in an analog cassette with newly customizable shells.
Additionally, RTM is set to launch their new B-1000EW Portable Cassette Player via select indie retailers. With electronics by RTM, the new player retains the built-in microphone and external microphone recording of their previous B-1000 model, along with an expanded window, USB power adapter and more (I just wish it had variable speed too!). The B-1000EW Portable Cassette Player comes on the heels of RTM’s recent sold-out collaboration with R.E.M. for a branded player in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of the band’s much-lauded debut EP Chronic Town.
It’s worth noting that the company had a plan for a more modern cassette player, boasting some pretty interesting features (stereo playing and recording, Bluetooth, rechargeable battery, etc.). Unfortunately, the Kickstarter campaign, launched two years ago during the pandemic, didn’t reach its goal. I still hope this project will become real, sooner or later.
RTM is also looking ahead to another in their series of highly successful cassette-only album reissues with ThinkIndie Distribution, to be announced shortly in conjunction with RSD Black Friday. Previous reissue series with ThinkIndie have featured critically acclaimed titles from a wide array of artists including Sturgill Simpson, Major Lazer, Maren Morris, Built To Spill, John Prine, Lupe Fiasco & Kaelin Ellis, The Mavericks, Jamie Lidell, Suzanne Vega and many more, as well as RTM/ThinkIndie’s first release of an LP of new/previously unreleased music, Patty Griffin’s TAPE.
As all analog music formats (vinyl, cassette, reel-to-reel, etc.) continue to rise in popularity, cassette tapes now outpace all other formats—including vinyl—in consumer-market growth, more than quadrupling since 2011. Artists including Eminem, Jack White, Taylor Swift, Jay-Z, Sufjan Stevens, Lana Del Rey, Muse and Ty Segall have all released recent albums on cassette, and RTM has previously partnered with New York-based Dala Records for a limited edition Record Store Day mixtape.
With the rise in demand for analog music cassettes, RTM’s new compact analog cassette tape is the first newly produced cassette on the market to offer high-quality audio in analog format, ideal for listening, recording and archiving. The cassette tape is manufactured using legendary chemical formulas from BASF at the RTM facility in Normandy, France. It can be played on any standard compact cassette player, generally available at high-end audio stores and big-box stores nationwide.
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