Back to The Old: The Return of Vinyl and Cassette
The comeback of vinyl and tapes, along with sales which are likely to increase in the age of technology.
One of the major reasons for trend changing in music formats is the invention of the new format. Once there is the new format introduced to the listeners, the older one becomes less popular. In the last few years, there are more and more streaming platforms that allow the listeners to reach the music in the most portable and easy way. Even so, the trend of vinyl records and cassette tapes make a comeback again. Why is this happening? The reviving of vinyl records and cassette tapes has various factors. For example, the sentiment, the value, and the evolution. People might choose to buy them out of its aesthetic appearance, its value, and its sound. Many of us remember sitting in front of our laptop, listening to music from our favorite application when the album we ordered had physically arrived. As the last people who are buying CDs, we can recognize the disappointment that our new laptops no longer have a CD drive. The late generations of laptops don’t have CD drives anymore. Almost every electronic device has the CD drive removed in their next generation. Even Sony which always sells the console PlayStation with CD drive as the game used to be all in CD, now some change has been made, Sony has introduced PlayStation 5 Digital Edition which no longer has CD drive in 2020.
Thinking back to the old days, the device and method of listening to music was not as advanced or formless as the present, the device and method of listening to music was not as advanced as the present. We reminisced about when we were in a car with a cassette player built-in dashboard listening to cassette tapes of the late 90s of Avril Lavigne and other artists that we don’t remember the name of. At home, we had an old Sony’s grey cassette player and a lot of cassette tapes. With our ‘curiosity’, many cassettes had been broken as we inserted a pencil in the hole in the middle of the tape and got the tape rolled out. We thought cassette tape was the only format that was manual, we could fix it ourselves if it had trouble playing. Then we realized we were listening to my favorite songs from CDs, the change of car dashboard, there was no more rectangle in the middle of it to insert the cassette. The cassettes that were placed in the car, were then left in the storage. After the CDs were introduced, it became the only way for most people to listen to music except from the radio. The CD stores in the mall or even the bookstore like B2S have CDs too. No matter where we went, we saw CDs.
After we have been buying only CDs for years, online music streaming such as Spotify, Tidal, Youtube, ect. was introduced to us. We were so amazed by it, besides its surprisingly great algorithm that can collect the data on our taste and recommend the song that we would love. This feature is astonishing at first but eventually it becomes ordinary except for the fact that it is easier and simpler to listen to music anywhere. Having streaming platforms makes all of the previous formats almost completely just for show.
In this digital era, most listeners listen from streaming services because they are monthly-pay and the subscribers can listen to any artist they want from all over the world. Collect them as every album, even the obscure ones, are available online. The dominance of the streaming service makes people less interested in the record stores. Surprisingly, the physical format still has its customers. One of the stores that can maintain its customers even though they only sell physical formats, cassettes, vinyl and CDs, is Nong Tha Phrachan record store. It is quite surprising to see phonograph players at the store window in the age of digital streaming. Walking into Nong gives a different vibe from others with its vintage style. Most people who buy from this store might walk in to look over the phonograph in the store that mesmerizes them, gives them chills and feelings like delighted and inspired in the way that the digital format can never do. It is because streaming cannot meet the needs of clients because it is a digital format. When a listener becomes a fan of the artist or a listener very fond of the artist’s work, they certainly want to collect those works in physical format. CD still gives the listener a sense of digital; CD is saved as a digital file on one side of the disc then uses a laser head to read the recorded digital data. So, when it comes to collecting, people tend to think of collecting antiques. Therefore, vinyl and cassettes are suitable for the listener who wants to collect music in a physical format.
Lately in Thailand, if you want to buy CDs from international artists, you have to order from the unofficial store that imports CDs or order from the official website of the artist with a very high shipping fee because official stores like Boomerang, B2S, Mangpong, etc. don’t sell CDs anymore. Moreover, on the official website of artists like Taylor Swift, while CDs and cassettes still last in stock, vinyl is out of stock within a short period of time. In other words, nowadays the CD’s are harder to find, in contrast, cassette tapes and vinyl records have become more common. The reason why vinyl and cassettes are coming back is that people want to collect songs in physical format. In the present age, almost everyone listens to music through music online streaming. Plus, some of the listeners may collect the CD but the online streaming and CD are digital formats that listeners cannot touch, unlike vinyl and cassette. Moreover, showing files on digital devices is less prestigious than displaying a collection of vinyl and cassette. But when it becomes too common like the compact disc is, people will start looking for something new, solid,and look valuable. In lockdown, the only choice was to listen to what they have in their hands. As a result, after lockdown, people buy more vinyls and cassettes as the store reopens. Now, aesthetics is more or less becoming a trend on social media , where vinyl records and cassette tapes are one of the most suitable pieces of art with the trend Since the aesthetic of the format is simply not the same. Vinyl records have become a modern art as they are not reserved for only the older artists who were famous in the past but almost every artist has vinyl records and cassette tapes as one of their album formats.
Peeraphum Bungadaeng, a sophomore student of the College of Innovation, Thammasat University, said that he enjoys listening to music through vinyl because of its process; there are more steps in how to listen to music on vinyl than simply opening the online streaming and tapping on a play button. Also, he said that listening with this format makes him feel special; it is not the way most people listen to music. The special feeling of owning and listening to music through vinyl comes from its price; Vinyl prices are among the highest of all formats whether it be CDs, tapes, or MP3. Plus, comparing the prices of vinyl to paying for music online streaming platforms, vinyl is much more expensive anyway. With the high price of vinyl, not everyone can afford and access it. Thus, people who can afford it feel special and dominant over people who cannot afford it. In other words, Peeraphum thinks that vinyl can be used as a tool to express status and power. He explains that this reason for the return of vinyl is consistent with Cultural Hegemony, a concept by Antonio Gramsci. One major factor of the comeback of vinyl and cassette arises from the stimulation of the middle class and high-class society such as celebrities, actors, and influencers; they post their collection of vinyl, cassettes or clips that shows they are listening to vinyl or cassette. This factor affects society, including him, and gradually turns to popular culture that lots of people start buying and collecting vinyl and cassettes. Therefore, it is clearly shown that another important reason for the comeback of vinyl and cassette is its fascination. First, vinyl and cassette give the listener a glimpse of nostalgia since it was invented a long time ago. This feeling provides the listener to feel more fun and enjoy listening to the music. Second, vinyl and cassette give the listener the warmth which comes from flaws in record players. According to Ladarat Charoensuk, a junior student of Faculty of Information and Communication Technology, Silpakon University, she enjoys listening to music via cassette because the sound of it makes her feel warmth, unlike CD and streaming platforms. So, she starts collecting the cassette of her favorite bands because she afraid that the price and value of the cassette will be higher in the future that she cannot afford; this shows that the value of these physical formats is much more than the untouchable subject as MP3 file or a song in the music online streaming platform. Plus, the value of it is sustainable even in the future their value tends to be higher.
The analog format, in contrast to the individualistic and personalized listening experience of streaming music, is made for communal listening experience. For cassettes, the listener can express themself through it; you can make your tape by mixing it. Also, you can design and make your own tape cover. Lastly, both vinyl and cassette come with beauty; you can decorate your room or house with the vinyl’s artwork and cassette’s tape cover. Tuchatham Tosakul, a Master’s degree student of the Faculty of Engineering, Thammasat University, often buys vinyl or cassettes from artwork and their appearance as well. For instance, there are two major types of vinyl: vinyl in plain black or in different colors or graphic as the artist designed; he will buy vinyl in color instead of plain black though sometimes it might cost more, he also paid because he wanted the beauty of it to use in decorating the room. He also said that sometimes the artwork that comes with vinyl has more pages and is much more beautiful than the artwork that comes with the CD format. Both vinyl records and cassette tapes are physical art, not just recorded mediums–a prop for social media and visual culture. Maybe these physical media are made to be seen, rather than heard. Last but not least, the imperfection of the sound is part of the reason why some people turn their attention to vinyl and cassette. Some of them encourage others to listen to music through vinyl and cassette because they claim that the quality of sound from these two formats is better than CD and online streaming. Actually, from a technical standpoint, the quality of the CD is clearly better than vinyl and cassette; for example, the CD has a more dynamic range than vinyl. However, people still enjoy listening to music through vinyl and cassette because they enjoy the warmth and the feeling from it; though the quality of sound may not be as high as CD, the flaw from recording provides the listener the sense of a more life-like sound.
In the modern era, the trends come and go quickly due to the fact that people can create new things all the time which provides pop culture changes so fast. In the music industry as well, there are lots of new music bands all over the world and in almost every genre of music; there are lots of brand debuts and have to disband because they couldn’t fight with the mass number of bands in the music market. Thus, pop culture is another reason why vinyl and cassette make a comeback. As we said above, once you become some bands’ fan club, you would like to pay and collect some physical formats; it is because the fan club will never be sure that their favorite band will survive in the music industry and the age of technology. So, fan clubs have to collect some items in order to remind themselves of being there as a listener, not just a consumer, once the band has disappeared. The physical format is a reflection of the fear of the listeners that the music trends are changing very quickly. Also, the physical formats not just show that once you become that band’s fan club but also can still confirm that the owner of the formats existed at that time. This exactly go along with the statement of Ladarat Charoensuk which said that she is afraid that she cannot afford the physical format in the future and really want to collect it because it has mental value to her; she has to collect the physical format because it makes you sure that you really exist at the moment.
The rising popularity of analog formats can be considered a global phenomenon. According to a recent BuzzAngle survey, vinyl and cassette albums both saw double-digit sales growth in the United States last year. Vinyl sales increased by just over 12%, from 8.6 million to 9.7 million, while cassette sales increased by nearly 19%, from 99,400 to 118,200 copies sold. This 41.8 percent growth not only shows the growth of the music industry but also shows that vinyl and cassettes really make a comeback. Plus, it seems that vinyl and cassette are gaining more attention not only because of the increase in sales but also because music stores now tend to promote and sell vinyl and tapes rather than CDs. For example, Earthtone, Uncle Mickey Sit and Listen to Music Alone, etc. A music store online on Facebook tends to sell more vinyl and cassettes, noticing from the products they post on their pages. It is not only the music stores that tend to promote and sell music in these two physical formats, but lots of artists also tend to release their albums in vinyl and cassette format more and more such as Eric Clapton, Taylor Swift, Post Malone, etc. The surge in popularity of analog format is due to economic pressure. Artists try discovering the way to make physical formats sell again to gain more earnings to produce more music. They come up with the design of the limited-edition CD which urges the fans to get in within the limited time, the price is getting higher. Almost every artist in the present age releases their album in the format of vinyl and cassette. Surprisingly, some of them even release their album only in the format of vinyl and cassette. For example, Keshi’s complete EP release only on the vinyl version. And also a Thai band, Polycat. They released the album called PILLOW WAR limited edition, they only sell CD with tape or the CD with tape and vinyl. These phenomenons show that both the listeners and artists try really hard against the fast-changing trend of music in order to exist. For the fan club, they also want their favorite band or genre of music to continue to exist.
Vinyl and cassette can make a comeback in the digital age because of their coolness and old school even though both vinyl records and cassette tapes had been created a very long time ago. They had reached their peak, no one would have thought that when there is advanced technology like streaming service and digital audio, vinyl records and cassette tapes can still make a comeback in the 2010s. Nowadays, it is the age of technology, online music streaming cannot meet the needs of consumers in a physical format. It is both interesting and surprising that we see the old fashion is making a comeback, not just only vinyl and cassette. What will make the next old fashion make a comeback in the future is another movement to follow. Also, will those comebacks survive in the age that everything can change within a second?
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Authors : Ruethaiboon Srithai, Nirinthana Ratreprasatsuk
