Pass the Beat: Sharetapes are the Mixtapes of the 21st Century

Where would we all be without mixtapes? Whether you recorded a special mix for the (first) girl of your dreams or mixed up a playlist to share some tunes with your buddies, I'm sure mixtapes have their own special place in your heart. Unfortunately for cassette tape manufacturers, that little space was quickly taken over and replaced with digital audio tracks and iPods and music players--and that spelled the end of mixtapes.

But bringing mixtapes back and into the context of the twenty-first century is Sharetapes.

Instead of manually recording music onto tracks of magnetic film, teens (and teens-at-heart) can go back to passing music along mixtape-style, albeit digitally. Sharetapes are physical 'tape' cards that you can use to 'record' mixes that you've put together for the intended recipient. After buying your blank Sharetapes, you can link it with a playlist you've created on streaming sites like YouTube or Spotify by logging on to the Sharetapes website.

Those who get your Sharetape can then play the mix you put together for them by tapping the card with their NFC-enabled device, by scanning the QR code, or by logging on to Sharetapes.com.

Get It: $6.99