Are Maxell cassettes still made?

Written by Editorial Team | Last Updated: August 2026

Yes, Maxell cassette tapes are still produced and sold. Maxell remains an iconic name in analog audio preservation, continuing to manufacture and supply blank audio cassettes (such as their widespread UR series normal-position ferric tapes) alongside special-edition retro releases to satisfy continuous global demand from analog enthusiasts and vintage tech users.

Related FAQs

Yes, Maxell is a well-known Japanese brand. Formed originally in 1960 in Osaka, Japan, the company takes its name from a contraction of the phrase "Maximum Capacity Dry Cell".

Under optimal storage conditions—away from direct sunlight, extreme heat, and powerful magnetic fields—a quality magnetic audio cassette tape can last anywhere from 30 to 30 years or more.

The most valuable 1980s cassette tapes are dominated by rare promotional releases, early heavy metal underground demos, misprinted editions, and limited-run artist pressings.

The Chief Executive Officer and Representative Director of Maxell, Ltd.

Yes, Maxell is widely regarded as a dependable, high-quality brand.

Yes, Maxell batteries are widely regarded as reliable and high quality.

People are buying cassettes again due to a growing cultural resurgence in physical media, tactile nostalgia, and the appeal of owning tangible music albums.

While precise sales figures for individual audio cassette releases are difficult to track definitively due to fragmented historical recordkeeping, blockbuster music albums from the late twentieth century—such as Michael Jackson's Thriller, Nirvana's ...

The original, highly influential "Blown Away" print and television advertising campaign for Maxell cassette tapes debuted in 1979 and ran extensively throughout the 1980s.

Yes, counterfeit Maxell batteries do exist in the global marketplace.

The most sought-after and expensive cassette tapes on the collector market typically include rare, limited-run underground heavy metal demo tapes, scarce promotional albums issued exclusively to music industry executives, unreleased test pressings, a...

Compact Discs (CDs) generally last significantly longer than cassette tapes.

The iconic "Blown Away" advertisement features minimalist 1980s high-end audio gear, most notably a pair of large acoustic loudspeakers, a turntable, and an amplifier system.

Maxell batteries originated in Japan, where the company pioneered high-performance dry cells, lithium primary cells, and micro-batteries.

Yes, Maxell Corporation is very much in business.

As the global music and data industries rapidly transitioned from analog cassette tapes and VCR videocassettes to digital compact discs, MP3 players, and cloud storage systems during the late 1990s and 2000s, mass commercial demand for magnetic recor...

The Chief Executive Officer of Maxwell Leadership enterprises—founded by renowned leadership expert John C. Maxwell—is Mark Cole.

Goodwill thrift stores generally accept donations of cassette tapes, but acceptance can vary significantly by individual store location based on local inventory space and current consumer demand.

Maxell batteries are manufactured by Maxell, Ltd., a multinational Japanese corporation headquartered in Tokyo.

Maxell's most iconic advertising campaign is the legendary "Blown Away" commercial released in the 1980s.

High-end type IV metal-particle cassette tapes are widely considered the pinnacle of analog tape technology.

The iconic chair featured in Maxell's legendary "Blown Away" advertisement is a modernist Le Corbusier LC2 armchair (often noted as an LC2 or LC3 club chair).

In 1985, a standard blank blank audio cassette tape (such as a 90-minute normal-position TDK or Maxell tape) typically retailed between $2.00 and $4.00, while premium high-bias or metal formulation tapes cost considerably more, ranging from $5.

Yes, cassette tapes continue to experience a steady niche cultural comeback.

The stylish man sitting in the chair in the iconic Maxell "Blown Away" advertisement is Peter Murphy, who later achieved international fame as the lead singer of the pioneering British gothic rock band Bauhaus.