Then cassettes got replaced with CDs which (initially) were read only, which again saved the market from piracy ... until online piracy with Napster and MP3 players completely crushed the music market, but far worse than cassettes.
Even 20 years later, the market still hasn't recovered to the level of peak CD revenue, despite the global economy growing substantially:
https://i.insider.com/4d5ea2acccd1d54e7c030000
Then cassettes got replaced with CDs which (initially) were read only, which again saved the market from piracy ... until online piracy with Napster and MP3 players completely crushed the music market, but far worse than cassettes.
Even 20 years later, the market still hasn't recovered to the level of peak CD revenue, despite the global economy growing substantially:
https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/...
Piracy may since have receded, but only due to Spotify / Apple Music dumping pricing.