Typically, between 4 and 20 minutes of music were available on the early cassette singles,[3] though later offerings would be available with five or six different versions of songs.

The British independent record label ZTT Records made good use of the cassette single format by 1984, with singles by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Art of Noise and Propaganda being issued in unique versions on compact cassette.

These were placed in standard rigid plastic cassette cases, with a folded paper/cardstock inlay "J-card" insert.

One reason for their lesser popularity was because they appeared to be an inefficient use of the media to consumers; a cassette single took up the same storage space as a full album.

In April 2013, however, psychedelic rock band MGMT released the first single from their third album as a cassette single, and October 2014 saw the cassingle Great Big Happy Green Moonface from Polaris, the band's first release in fifteen years.