mixtape

noun

mix·​tape ˈmiks-ˌtāp 

variants or less commonly mix tape

plural mixtapes also mix tapes

1

: a noncommercial compilation of songs copied (as onto a cassette tape or a CD) from various sources

In high school, I'd be making mixtapes for friends and girls instead of doing my homework, spending hours perfecting how a Smiths song and Joy Division song and Pixies song would convey the way I feel.

—Aaron Axelsen, quoted at SFGate.com

Writers like Nick Hornby have imbued the cassette tape with considerable romance, in particular the mix tape created for a loved one. In practice, these were often recorded directly from the radio, requiring your typical suburban suitor to sit around for hours on end, waiting for the desired track to appear.

—Richard Glover

2

: an album that is usually recorded and distributed without the involvement of a record label

The mixtape is an unofficial release. It might be tied to an imprint or a label, but it doesn't necessarily appear in stores. In fact, most of them can be purchased only on the streets, at the clubs, from the trunks of cars or from the artists themselves.

—Lance Scott Walker

Long before rap got any radio love, mixtapes were the main form of distribution, the currency that kept everything in rotation as the culture evolved.

—Sidney Madden and Rodney Carmichael

High-fidelity and laden with hits, So Far Gone had the sheen of a professional studio album, and it popularized the idea of mixtapes as low-pressure showcases for burgeoning artists.

—Jonah Bromwich

Examples of mixtape in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The concert announcement comes on the heels of Cole’s mixtape Friday Night Lights being released on streaming platforms for the first time since its 2010 debut. —Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 30 Nov. 2024

Take the recent rise in popularity of vinyl records, Polaroid cameras, board games, and even mixtapes. —Rachel Botsman, WIRED, 28 Nov. 2024

The rapper, whose mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal, is one of 2024’s best albums, followed up with an energetic set of her own, with help from the band and DJ Miss Milan. —Rolling Stone, 23 Nov. 2024

What’s the difference between a mixtape and an album these days? —Angel Diaz, Billboard, 1 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1985, in the meaning defined at sense 1