KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5 — Music in physical formats are still ‘in’. The golden age for physical releases such as vinyl, cassette tapes and compact discs (CDs) may well be over with the emergence of digital music in the early 2000s and the introduction of various streaming platforms nowadays — but it's hardly obsolete. In fact, there has been a revival of interest in physical formats globally since 2010 — not to forget that Sony has actually started pressing vinyl records again after three decades in 2018 amid surging demands.
According to the 2023 year end music industry revenue report by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), total revenue sales from vinyl records in the US grew up to 11 per cent compared to 2022, reaching up to US$1.9 billion and covering 71 per cent of physical format sales that year. Despite CDs being ousted by vinyl records sales, the format itself also showed an 11 per cent growth in 2023, collecting around US$537 million in sales.
With record stores all over including in Malaysia now beginning to regain their footing with demand, Malay Mail talked to a group of local music lovers and a record store owner on what makes physical formats desirable today. Like in a relationship — being physically present matters This is the case for nine-members KL-based DJ collective, Disko Santan who are avid vinyl and physical format collectors themselves. “For us, each vinyl brings good memories to the collectors, which some have grown up with.
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