Over the past two years, vinyl records have made a surprising comeback in this era of digital music. Vinyl records are music''s top selling physical format, and they imbue music with a romance that'' s missing in digital files. Today in our weekly special report, we visit Taiwan''s vinyl past and meet those who are working to preserve it.Here at the foot of Kaohsiung’s Yueguang Mountain, this old residence with its three-sided courtyard has been in Chung Shih-wei’s family since the Japanese colonial period. Like many other families in Meinong District, Chung’s family is made up of farmers who used to grow tobacco and banana crops. His family home still has the oven that was once used to dry tobacco leaves. Chung returned here in 2016, after quitting a job in the media to start his own bed and breakfast. Now this old family home serves as accommodation for travelers, and its tobacco barn is where Chung shares music with his guests.Chung Shih-weiB&B proprietorThis used to be our tobacco barn. It’s a tobacco drying room from the Japanese colonial era. I’ve turned this space into a vinyl listening room.What was once a place for curing and drying tobacco now is home to 4,500 vinyl records. These records were sent by different record companies to Chung’s mother.Chung Shih-weiB&B proprietorIn those years, my mother was a radio host at the Broadcasting Corporation of China. Every time a singer put out a new album, they would mail a copy to my mother. The records sat for years in a storage room. They never really attracted his attention, Chung said, until the day he realized they were a treasure.Chung Shih-weiB&B proprietorThere was this one time – it was before I quit my media job. I was in the bookstore and they were holding a vinyl record festival. They had a copy of veteran rocker Chyi Chin’s 齊秦 album “Wolf.” This album the bookstore had priced at NT$7,800. I said, “NT$7,800?” I have a whole stack of them at home.After seeing the prices that vinyl could command, Chung returned home and launched the task of reorganizing the family collection. He didn’t expect to fall in love with the records along the way.Chung Shih-weiB&B proprietorAs I went through and reorganized these records, I gradually fell in love with them. I came to appreciate the diversity of Taiwanese pop music. There were so many music styles, so many different notable artists. It came to feel that these records were quite magical.To trace the history of vinyl records, one must start from 1877, when Thomas Edison invented the phonograph. The first records were in the shape of cylinders and made of wax. These were in use until Emile Berliner invented flat records in 1887. Within four years, the wax compound used to make records was replaced by a shellac compound derived from the resin secreted by the female lac bug. Lin Tai-weiVinyl record collectorThe shellac records had only one song per side, and one song was limited to three minutes. In the Japanese colonial era, these records were very expensive, so generally only the middle class and upper class could purchase them.In 1945, the shellac used to make records was replaced by polyvinyl chloride. This is how music records came to be referred to as vinyl. In the 1990s, vinyl records were replaced by the compact disc. Eventually, all physical media for music gave way to digital downloads, but in recent years, vinyl has begun to make a comeback. In the past two years, sales grew by 8%, making vinyl the best-selling physical medium for music once again.Tsai Sheng-yi is the deputy head of a vinyl record company. His love for records drove him to get into the business of producing vinyl records. He says his goal is to help more people appreciate the distinct warmth of vinyl records.Tsai Sheng-yiVinyl records manufacturerWe have a digital operation. The data gives us lots of insights and allows us to say, “This is good and this is not good.” But vinyl is quite strange. Sometimes the data looks great but when you listen, it’s just not right. Then sometimes there’s nothing remarkable about the data, but when you listen, the music is full of life.Tsai produces vinyl discs, and Chung has reorganized his collection for his guests. For the general public, listening centers are another great way to access this lesser-known format. In New Taipei, the southern branch of the Sanchong District public library has a listening center where visitors can enjoy a library of 600 records. Hu Tung-hungLibrary directorIt was once a part of our culture. There were once many people who made their living working at vinyl record factories. It’s gone now. The library has the important responsibility of preserving this local knowledge and culture. We hope to revive this culture.Proponents of vinyl say the format prompts reflection in a way that digital music cannot. For them, vinyl harks back to a time displaced by the speed, convenien...
Over the past two years, vinyl records have made a surprising comeback in this era of digital music. Vinyl records are music''s top selling physical format, and they imbue music with a romance that'' s missing in digital files. Today in our weekly special report, we visit Taiwan''s vinyl past and meet those who are working to preserve it.Here at the foot of Kaohsiung’s Yueguang Mountain, this old residence with its three-sided courtyard has been in Chung Shih-wei’s family since the Japanese colonial period. Like many other families in Meinong District, Chung’s family is made up of farmers who used to grow tobacco and banana crops. His family home still has the oven that was once used to dry tobacco leaves. Chung returned here in 2016, after quitting a job in the media to start his own bed and breakfast. Now this old family home serves as accommodation for travelers, and its tobacco barn is where Chung shares music with his guests.Chung Shih-weiB&B proprietorThis used to be our tobacco barn. It’s a tobacco drying room from the Japanese colonial era. I’ve turned this space into a vinyl listening room.What was once a place for curing and drying tobacco now is home to 4,500 vinyl records. These records were sent by different record companies to Chung’s mother.Chung Shih-weiB&B proprietorIn those years, my mother was a radio host at the Broadcasting Corporation of China. Every time a singer put out a new album, they would mail a copy to my mother. The records sat for years in a storage room. They never really attracted his attention, Chung said, until the day he realized they were a treasure.Chung Shih-weiB&B proprietorThere was this one time – it was before I quit my media job. I was in the bookstore and they were holding a vinyl record festival. They had a copy of veteran rocker Chyi Chin’s 齊秦 album “Wolf.” This album the bookstore had priced at NT$7,800. I said, “NT$7,800?” I have a whole stack of them at home.After seeing the prices that vinyl could command, Chung returned home and launched the task of reorganizing the family collection. He didn’t expect to fall in love with the records along the way.Chung Shih-weiB&B proprietorAs I went through and reorganized these records, I gradually fell in love with them. I came to appreciate the diversity of Taiwanese pop music. There were so many music styles, so many different notable artists. It came to feel that these records were quite magical.To trace the history of vinyl records, one must start from 1877, when Thomas Edison invented the phonograph. The first records were in the shape of cylinders and made of wax. These were in use until Emile Berliner invented flat records in 1887. Within four years, the wax compound used to make records was replaced by a shellac compound derived from the resin secreted by the female lac bug. Lin Tai-weiVinyl record collectorThe shellac records had only one song per side, and one song was limited to three minutes. In the Japanese colonial era, these records were very expensive, so generally only the middle class and upper class could purchase them.In 1945, the shellac used to make records was replaced by polyvinyl chloride. This is how music records came to be referred to as vinyl. In the 1990s, vinyl records were replaced by the compact disc. Eventually, all physical media for music gave way to digital downloads, but in recent years, vinyl has begun to make a comeback. In the past two years, sales grew by 8%, making vinyl the best-selling physical medium for music once again.Tsai Sheng-yi is the deputy head of a vinyl record company. His love for records drove him to get into the business of producing vinyl records. He says his goal is to help more people appreciate the distinct warmth of vinyl records.Tsai Sheng-yiVinyl records manufacturerWe have a digital operation. The data gives us lots of insights and allows us to say, “This is good and this is not good.” But vinyl is quite strange. Sometimes the data looks great but when you listen, it’s just not right. Then sometimes there’s nothing remarkable about the data, but when you listen, the music is full of life.Tsai produces vinyl discs, and Chung has reorganized his collection for his guests. For the general public, listening centers are another great way to access this lesser-known format. In New Taipei, the southern branch of the Sanchong District public library has a listening center where visitors can enjoy a library of 600 records. Hu Tung-hungLibrary directorIt was once a part of our culture. There were once many people who made their living working at vinyl record factories. It’s gone now. The library has the important responsibility of preserving this local knowledge and culture. We hope to revive this culture.Proponents of vinyl say the format prompts reflection in a way that digital music cannot. For them, vinyl harks back to a time displaced by the speed, convenien...
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