Can we finally put Reel to Reel out of its misery? Put it to rest people.

ATR Magnetics in York, PA is making tape in most formats- cassette, 7" 1/4" reel to reel, 10.5" in reels or pancakes, and also 1/2" and 1" for those with studio machines. Their tapes are made to match 456 Grand Master so no need with most reel to reel machines to re-calibrate.
https://www.atrtape.com/

Nortronics has long been a supplier of high quality replacement heads for a variety of consumer and studio machines:
http://www.jrfmagnetics.com/
Its easy enough to find new cassette tape heads on ebay. Finding rubber parts is a bit trickier, although Russell Industries has a large selection of belts, tires and idlers that fit a good number of machines:
http://russellind.com/

I have the impression that in fact more and more people are getting interested in tape, both RTR and cassettes. This might be a fashion moment and might be not, too early to tell. As for recording studios, that's how you record if you want quality - you use tape and analog recorder. Double that for acoustic music. Digital is consumer mass market medium, it can be listenable but that's all.  Instead of engaging in a futile task to make digital sound as analog, it would be better to invent better analog medium, better than tape.

IME, R2R is the best sounding format, but the price of entry has become prohibitive for most as software cost, maintenance, and access to quality machines have skyrocketed over years.  IMHO R2R is dead to the average consumer but it has nothing to do with performance, only cost.

Average consumers will consume anything that is average thinking that it is good. Audiophiles are not that.

A footnote to this important issue:

We should just buy blow up dolls and be done with the whole inconvenient thing.

You mean not everybody has just a blow up doll? How quaint.

Roxy Music was 50 years ahead of you guys....

I bought you mail order
My plain wrapper baby
Your skin is like vinyl
The perfect companion

Deluxe and delightful
Immortal and life size
My breath is inside you
I'll keep you till death sighs

Inflatable goddess
Lover eternal
I blew up your body...
But you blew my mind

They're in their Seventies. She's still 19. And never strays.

Except in high winds...