Tastemakers are always trying to find ways to differentiate themselves from the crowd, including using unique methods to share or consume their art. This year, our team has reported how vinyls outsold CDs , and the way floppy disks continue to inspire creators in the underground music scene . Unsurprisingly, alongside cassettes making a comeback , we're also seeing a demand for Walkman music players too.
There was a time in technology history when having a Walkman meant being a cool kid, one able to take their music with them everywhere. Now that people can do this with their smartphones, it can be a little ironic that many people have done a complete 180 and are looking for more quaint ways to listen to their music. Of course, you can't really blame them considering streaming platforms have been hit with criticisms over their failure to compensate smaller artists and the lack of transparency on their plans to handle artists' growing concerns with AI .
So, if you still have an old childhood Walkman lying around your attic, it may be worth more than you think. Here's how to know what the potential value might be. Given its $150 price tag when it first launched – which is worth about $680 today – the original Walkman from 1979 was quite expensive to buy.
However, some designs truly stand the test of time so that models are worth even more today. Surveying eBay, the retro 1984 WM-DC2, which was the first model to introduce Dolby C, still racks up a good price. Even with some.
