Were you one of those people who caught Ozzy Osbourne’s final performance at Back To The Beginning last weekend (July 5, 2025)?
Me too! And perhaps it’s also led to you dusting off that old box of cassette tapes, whether to show a younger generation that yes, we did use to listen to music on that ‘archaic’ format (by today’s standards), or maybe just to reminisce about a time that you could walk into Woolworths, pick up the latest heavy metal release, and have enough change to get some lolly mix. Or that might just be me...
But with a newer generation of music fans gravitating towards all the things us ‘older lot’ used to consider the cutting-edge of technology, it might be worth taking a look at how much some of those cassette tape releases are worth. Thanks to the Discogs app, it’s as easy as scanning a barcode or typing in the catalogue number on their website. You never know – as it stands, that Death Angel tape you have lying around somewhere is actually worth something, or at least sold for an incredible price through the online marketplace.
So, for hard rock, metal, and that cacophony of noise in between (the type your parents loathed when you’d play it on the car stereo), what have been some of the most expensive sales on Discogs for the lovable, if not sometimes infuriating (like getting your tape chewed up), magnetic strip of musical history?
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17. Xero - Xero (£3,285.00)
The genesis of a global phenomenon. This incredibly rare 1997 US self-released sampler cassette from Xero, the precursor to Linkin Park, features the band's earliest recorded material. Its extreme scarcity and historical importance make it one of the most valuable and sought-after cassettes in modern rock. | Getty Images/Discogs
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