Kickstart: The mixtape isn't dead yet

Anyone who's ever made a mixtape or grew up playing a favorite song so often you wore out a cassette tape can appreciate the work that Lou Ottens did in the 1960s.

His team was responsible for the compact cassette tape system and followed that up by working on compact discs. Ottens, who died March 6, maintained all he did was come up with the idea. It was other engineers and designers who made it happen, he said.

But an interesting thing I discovered while writing about him is that cassettes are not simply a bit of nostalgia. In fact, National Audio Co. Inc. of Springfield, Mo. — the only U.S. maker of cassettes — says demand is increasing.

In 2018, National Audio said it was making 10 million cassettes per year, going through 20,000 feet of polyurethane film for tapes each minute.

The company bought used equipment from former suppliers to create its own manufacturing lines when other firms weren't interested in supplying cassettes.

The continuing interest, co-owner Steve Stepp told the Springfield News-Leader, is driven by fans' preference for a "warmer" tone of analog audio vs. the crisp sound of digital recordings.

Meanwhile, another product with a long consumer focus, Tupperware Brands Corp., is struggling to keep investors happy.

Orlando, Fla.-based Tupperware said in its quarterly financial report that sales for the fourth quarter of 2020 were up 17 percent, although full-year sales were down 3 percent overall. Officials said the improvement toward the end of the year came as a result of a concerted effort by executives to revamp operations. Sellers also have adopted social media and the internet for sales, rather than in-person events, which had been slowing even before the pandemic and social distancing.

"Additionally, we continue to provide real-time solutions to consumers' needs to prepare food, minimize food waste and decrease use of single-use items," President and CEO Miguel Fernandez said. "As we move into 2021, we believe consumers give us permission to expand product categories, and together with increased access points, allows us to grow our business to match the power of the Tupperware brand."

Share prices for Tupperware were down almost 7 percent in midday trading.

In contrast, Lego A/S said its sales rose 13 percent in 2020 thanks to online sales, even as its retail stores were forced to curtail many operations.

The Danish toymaker also updated its investments to "create a positive impact for future generations."

In 2020, Lego said it would invest $400 million to support "learning through play" for more children while also reducing its environmental impact.

It was able to reach 3.2 million children throughout the year and began trials on paper bags to replace single-use plastic packaging for its products.

"The challenges facing this generation of children are urgent and complex and must be addressed through a collective effort by companies, governments and experts," CEO Niels B. Christiansen said. "We look forward to joining forces with children, parents, colleagues and partners to help shape a bright future for generations to come."