NYC’s First Tape Fair Proves Walkmans Are Cool Again (Seriously)

This Sunday, Bushwick’s Selva gallery hosts the first-ever NYC Tape Fair, where more than a dozen vendors will sling vintage VHS tapes, cassette albums, and enough analog nostalgia to short-circuit a Spotify server.

Why now? Because, apparently, tapes are back. Big names like Taylor Swift and Charli XCX moved tens of thousands of cassette copies last year, according to Luminate — proving there’s no sound Gen Z won’t put on magnetic ribbon.

Ted Schmiedeler, 21, former station director at Columbia’s WKCR, is hyped. “When I listen to a cassette, I can’t skip songs. I’m stuck — and that’s good,” he said, proudly admitting he bought his Walkman on eBay like a true vintage warrior.

For under $20, fair co-founder Anthony Morton promises you can score some “amazing stuff” — or at least own a piece of America’s glittery, glitchy VHS past. Morton’s bringing backup too: the Found Footage Festival gang (veterans of The Onion and The Late Show) will be selling off duplicate weirdness from their trove of videos-that-should-not-exist.

Alongside indie stores like Paradise of Replica and Captured Tracks, the fair will also feature Brooklyn’s newly rebooted Night Owl Video and some deep crate-divers with tapes older than TikTok itself.

Tapes, Schmiedeler insists, are more than a fad. They’re survival tools. WKCR still spins rare cassettes on shows like “Raag Aur Taal,” because a lot of world music simply never made it to the internet — and, honestly, it sounds better without Spotify’s “Recommended for You” guessing badly.

Prediction: Tapes will become the next aesthetic flex. Walkmans dangling from belt loops will replace iPhones. Schmiedeler’s advice?

“Get in early.”

Because nothing says cutting-edge rebellion quite like rewinding by hand with a pencil.

Bob Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941, in Duluth, Minnesota, is one of music history's most influential and celebrated figures. Over a more than six-decade-long career, Dylan has redefined the boundaries of songwriting, blending folk, rock, blues, and literary influences to craft songs.

Early Life and Career

Dylan grew up in Hibbing, Minnesota, and was drawn to music from an early age, idolizing artists like Woody Guthrie, Little Richard, and Hank Williams.

In the late 1950s, Dylan began performing in coffeehouses and clubs in Minneapolis, eventually moving to New York City in 1961.

Dylan’s self-titled debut album (1962) contained primarily traditional folk and blues covers but hinted at his songwriting potential.

His second album, "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" (1963), launched him to fame with songs like “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.”

In 1965, he went electric with “Like a Rolling Stone” and the album "Highway 61 Revisited," sparking controversy and revolutionizing rock music.

Albums like "Blood on the Tracks" (1975) showcased his ability to write deeply personal and emotionally complex songs.

Awards: Dylan has won numerous accolades, including 10 Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature for “creating new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.”

Signature Songs

“Blowin’ in the Wind” (1963) –

“Like a Rolling Stone” (1965) –

“Tangled Up in Blue” (1975) –

“Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” (1973)