I used to label my mixtapes with a fine tip marker, now I just use a sticky note

Back in the 80s I would spend an hour getting the lettering just right on each cassette shell. I'd use a Pilot Precise V5 rolling ball pen and write the track list in tiny neat print on the J-card. Then about five years ago my hands started shaking a little from getting older and I could not keep the lines straight. Now I just scribble the artist name on a yellow sticky note and slap it on the case. It looks terrible but at least I know what I put on there. Funny how something that used to matter so much just does not matter anymore. Does anyone else have a tape habit they changed because of age or circumstance?

2 comments

2 Comments

jade2713d ago

That's fair, but I actually think the effort was part of the experience. Spending time on those details made the tape feel more personal, like a small art project. Slapping a sticky note on there just feels lazy even if it gets the job done.

ivan_fisher993d ago

Hear me out, what if the tape itself is part of the nostalgia factor? @jade271 I'm thinking about mixtapes or old VHS recordings. The hand-written labels and the worn-out tape edges are what make them feel real. A sticky note just evaporates after a few years, but that tape holds up and becomes a little time capsule. You can't get that from a quick fix.