How much did a brand new cassette cost in the 80's when it first came out, and how much was a brand new record when it came out?

Cassettes first came out in 1969, I think.  ???

Cassettes first came out in 1969, I think.   ???

By "first came out," I think she meant when a title was first released by a record company.  I remember paying as little as $6.99 for a new release on sale, and as much as $12.99 for an importated new release on a smaller label.  I would say the average price for a new cassette in 1986 was $9.99.  About on par with vinyl.  In the late '80s companies began pushing vinyl out of the market by adding extra tracks to cassettel and CD.  Typicall, two extras for cassette and three extras for CD.
The companies had been adding b-sides from singles, and extra mixes, to cassettes since the early '80s because cassettes could run longer than LPs.  Unfortunately, the quality of cassettes was relatively poor in the early '80s.  The quality of cassettes improved dramatically in the latter half of the '80s due to better engineering and noise control mechanisms.  I suspect this was less because of technological breakthroughs but more to encourage the purchasing of cassettes instead of LPs.
CDs were always more expensive the cassettes and vinyl.  They've never come down, even adjusted for inflation, to where LPs left off.  This has been one of the biggest scams in music industry history.

No I mean when they were released, like for example Cyndi Lauper's brand new album.

some of my records & albums still have the price tags on them. 45 records have a $1.99 price on them & 33 albums have $6.99. I want to say cassettes were between $4.99 & $10.00. My husband had a massive collection of them but some were lost or stolen & some were ate by a tape player. We have a small collection still but none with prices on them so I cant say for sure.      :)

some of my records & albums still have the price tags on them. 45 records have a $1.99 price on them & 33 albums have $6.99.

That is accurate, as I too have price-marked 45s and Lps. Cassettes were generally $7.00 were I lived. On sale, they would go as low as $3.00. Ahhh! The good 'ol days.

Well silly me, I kept all my receipts !
(I'm just a sentimental person  :-[ )

Let's see, for some of my early '80s cassette purchases...

Dec. 1980, bought King Crimson's "In the Court of the Crimson King" for $5.89
Nov. 1981, The Beatles' "Revolver" for $8.98
Jan. 1983, ABC's "Lexicon of Love" for $6.49
Mar. 1984, Soft Cell's "Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret" for $8.98

If I look for more I should be able to find the price of some of the last albums I bought...

:) ;D

I worked at a small chain in the D.C. area in the 80's, Kemp Mill Records.
Most new release cassettes were $6.99-$9.99. Average was $8.99, on sale at $7.99, which was on par with most LP prices.
CD's were $9.99-$12.99 (late 80's & KM was a discount store).
Double cassettes/album sets were as much as $12-$14.99.

Around here, I could get 33's for around $10-$12, and cassettes for around $10.  If I bought at our base, cassettes were about $8.  The 45's were around $2, depending on where we bought them.  :)

I worked at a small chain in the D.C. area in the 80's, Kemp Mill Records.

No way!  I used to shop there! ;D  Remember Waxie Maxies? ;)

Can't really remember the cost of cassettes & albums.  But I know to see a concert was around $18.00 in the early 80's  quite a bit more now. ;)

No way!  I used to shop there! ;D  Remember Waxie Maxies? ;)

Yep, I remember Waxies, are they still around?
There used to be a lot of cool record shops in and around the DC metro area, most of them (including Kemp Mill) are all gone now. :(

Yep, I remember Waxies, are they still around?
There used to be a lot of cool record shops in and around the DC metro area, most of them (including Kemp Mill) are all gone now. :(



No, Waxie Maxie's closed down in late 80's/early 90's.  Did you ever shop at Phantasmagoria (Wheaton), Joe's Record Paradise (Rockville) or Smash! (Georgetown)?

I used to buy all my concert tickets at the Kemp Mill near White Flint Mall :P