A NEW record label is hoping to rewind to the past and hit play on a tape resurgence by releasing new music solely on cassette.

Oxford couple Ben and Julia Walker have formed Beanie Tapes, what is believed to be the city's only new label specialising in the vintage format and have just released details of their first EP.

Mr Walker said he thought the time is right for a move back to tape as many smaller artists find it too expensive to release their music on vinyl, which has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years with more than 4.1 million sold last year.

The avid collector, 37, says he has bought up to 50 new albums on tape in recent years and believes most people still have access to a player somewhere, whether its in their car or gathering dust in the attic.

He is also offering to help fix up old Walkmans to help spread the music more widely.

Cassette tapes are also enjoying a revival, with sales in 2017 doubling from the year before.

The Botley-based producer, who also works for the website Bandcamp, said: "I have been following tape labels around the world and buying music from all over the place.

"It's a format that lends itself to the sort of DIY, experimental stuff I like to listen to.

"A lot of fans still want to own a physical copy of the album but CDs are no longer interesting, if they ever were, and vinyl is way too expensive for a lot of artists.

"It has become so popular that there's a five month waiting list to get an album pressed and you have to produce 500 copies to make it worth it.

"With tape you can have the album out in a couple of weeks and produce as few as 20 or 30, making it a great option to release music easily."

The duo, who also perform as band Candy Says, are also curating a shelf at Cowley Road's Truck Store to showcase other tape releases from distributors based all over the world.

They've even nailed a Walkman to the wall so people can sample releases before they buy them.

Oxford 'supergroup' Premium Leisure, made up of well-known artists from the local scene, will release their EP Plug the Leads in on Beanie Tapes in June with copies now available to pre-order.

Despite the new venture, Mr Walker is hoping tapes do not take off in the same way vinyl has done over the past decade.

He said: "I hope it is going to stay as a niche thing to be honest.

"The way vinyl has gone it has become so standard that doesn't mean as much as it used to.

"I don't see the major labels seeing tape as anything more than a novelty.

"They may put out the occasional release but I can't imagine they are going to start releasing their albums in this way as a matter of course.

"It's nice to be part of something that's almost hand-made.

"We're never going to make any money out of it so when you buy a tape you know you are getting something that has been made for the love of it."