BENGALURU: During a recent shopping haul at an antique shop, Nihal Raman, a student from Harvard University who is visiting the city, hit a jackpot with quirky vinyl records. He picked up records of Diljalaa (1987) and Suhaag (1979). It might look odd for a 21-year-old to pick records of classic cult movies, but Raman was also fascinated by the covers of the records. Raman, whose parents gave him a record player for his 15th birthday, has been into them ever since. “I enjoy going to record stores to look for good bargains. I find good music that I wouldn’t have listened to otherwise. A friend bought a 100- year-old record player and used to find records for 50 cents and a dollar,” says Raman, adding that the outer covers of records make for good home decor.
There are many like Raman, which is why the craze for vinyl records has skyrocketed. Balaji, owner of Balaji’s Antiques and Collectibles, situated on Avenue Road, confirms this. He has more than 10,000 records in languages like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, English, Bengali and Malayalam. “While regional languages have a niche crowd, the younger lot come for rock, and pop,” says Balaji. The prices of the records are between `450 and `10,000. The Beatles’ records cost `2,500, but their 78 RPM records are some of the most expensive ones.
They are not only first pressed but also pressed in India. Beatles 78 RPM was played in India till the ’70s, while it was discontinued in the West. The records have now become collectables,” explains Balaji. Though he welcomes customers leisurely browsing through the collection, he doesn’t encourage listening to them at the store for extended periods. So, if you are yet to experience the euphoria of music through records, then the Record Room on Magrath Road could be an option. The vinyl bar has a collection of 250 records and a record player, where people can play their favourites.
Karthik Chandrasekaran, co-founder, recalls the first time he experienced vinyl records was around 15 years ago. “I found the vinyl of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon that I used to listen to on cassettes. I had goosebumps. Being into music, I always collected different vinyls, and in 2018 I happened to discuss my dream of a vinyl bar with one of the co-partners. We got busy with our respective projects, but we also saw an uptick in vinyl. That time we didn’t expect it to become as significant as it has become now,” says Chandrasekaran, adding that according to the Recording Industry Association of America, there is a 30 percent increase in vinyl worldwide compared to previous years. The collection at this space has been curated for a while.
“When we wanted to open the place, we realised music is subjective. So we kept the collection across decades like from Sinatra to Kendrick Lamar’s latest album – Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, and everything in between like Reggae, Bob Marley, Abba to name a few,” says Chandrasekaran, adding that getting vinyls in India can be hard, considering you have to go to specific distributors.Vikram Mahatobar, owner of Mahatobar in Utility Building, agrees. “It is still a niche audience. It has not reached a stage in India where it has become common. It is a costly hobby because records are expensive, and you need a player.However, it is a gratifying hobby, ” says Mahatobar, who meets his clients through appointments.
Mahatobar, who has been in the business for the past eight years, points out that the music experience on vinyl is entirely different from any digital version, which is one of the prime reasons for the industry
to survive.