A tape drive apparatus employing a tape cassette including a solid-state memory in a cassette half unit that accommodates a magnetic tape. When recording application data on the magnetic tape, the application data is written in an area of a preset size of the memory, beginning from a leading end of the application data. In this manner, it is assured that the management information located at the leading end of the application data can be stored in the memory. In reproducing the application data from the tape cassette, the management information stored in the memory is exploited to save time in accessing the management information recorded on the magnetic tape.