Jo Rosenthal reports from NYC’s Tape Fair.
The cassette tape refuses to disappear. More specifically, the tape in all its wondrous forms. And tape enthusiasts everywhere are turning back to their archives with a renewed sense of attention, finding a great sense of joy in what others might consider ‘junk.’ A couple of years ago, two friends, each with a mountain of rare tapes, decided to bring their collections together and invite other collectors to join them. From this grand idea, the NYC Tape Fair was created, bringing together tape lovers everywhere to share and celebrate their treasures and the history that comes with them.
Ricardo Marrero and Anthony Morton created the event out of frustration shared by many tape connoisseurs. Record fairs and vintage shops often treat tapes as an afterthought, offering little selection and even less community. The solution, Marrero explained, was to create a space dedicated entirely to the format – a fair built by and for tape collectors. “We knew the community was out there, it just needed to be pulled together.”
Vendors like Paradise Of Replica, Captured, Sideshow, Academy, Fringe, Deep Cuts, and Human Head set up shop at Selva in Bushwick, where they showcased everything from limited runs of band tapes, Disney movies on VHS and rare versions of concerts and nature sounds only printed once. What might read as nostalgia to some felt more immediate as the growing appetite for physical media is increasingly hard to replicate in an era of convenience. There was little walking room as the space filled with people gasping at how many gems there were. There was something for everyone.
Alongside cassette tapes, VHS tapes, limited edition band shirts, handmade merch, and forgotten pop culture relics kept visitors swarming the entire event. One table had almost 30 copies of Austin Powers Gold Member on VHS. Even as streaming continues to dominate the music industry, a growing number of bands, independent labels, and experimental artists are returning to tapes, not out of nostalgia, but because the format offers something digital platforms can’t.
Since launching the fair, Marrero says that the response has exceeded his expectations. The atmosphere throughout the event reflected the enthusiasm surrounding tape culture. The continued resurgence was evident in the room, with attendees digging through tapes, trading recommendations, and connecting over shared discoveries. For Marrero and Morton, seeing the idea materialize in real life has only reinforced the fair’s mission: increasing access to tapes and the culture surrounding them.
Billy Bombs of Queens Comic Party provided tables for the event, highlighting the community support behind the fair, alongside Night Owl Video, whose VHS collection has been described as unmatched across the five boroughs.
For vendors like Tapehead City, showcasing newly printed cassettes is something that’s recently become popular with the masses again. Each tape they design for artists’ is assembled with handmade artwork, photo inserts and secret notes attached to the lyrics. These elements turn the object itself into part of the allure. The result is a release that exists in both physical form and sound, something to be held, kept, and returned to.
Part of what makes the tape community distinct, Marrero says, is that formats and permanent magnetic tapes degrade over time, making every cassette inherently fragile. Yet collectors continue to value the medium precisely because of those qualities. He describes the community as deeply appreciative of the present moment, united by an understanding that these objects, the collectors, and the memories attached to them will not last forever.
For Marrero, one of the most rewarding parts of organizing the fair has been watching people discover collecting in real time. Lowering the barrier to entry for younger collectors and newcomers has been something he’s loved watching. Marrero especially enjoys seeing attendees get excited about unexpected finds like Eastern Birds Songs or Satan’s Bed, and connecting with fellow “tape freaks” who share his obsession with the format.
The fair carried the atmosphere of a time when physical media shaped your entire experience, when going to the movies meant crowded theaters, paper, tickets, video store recommendations, and something to anticipate all week. Many of the objects on display felt less like merchandise and more like artifacts from pre-digital culture built around gathering and experiencing music and film in person.
Marrero emphasized that while the tape fair emerged partly in response to neglected tape selections in stores, a number of New York shops have become increasingly invested as the interest in the medium grows.
Following the success of this year’s gathering the New York tape fair is expected to continue as a yearly event for future dates and updates. Most vendors didn’t have much to pack up and some even completely sold out of their collections. Marrero and Morton relished in the fairs success by celebrating with high fives and smiles from ear to ear. New York City has something for everyone and if you are a collector, you have a forever place at the tape fair. Attendees can follow the NYC tape fair page for info on the next fair and consider starting their own collections as soon as inspiration strikes.
