Traders cash in on people's love for old cassettes

By Hera Diani

JAKARTA (JP): In the 1960s, president Sukarno banned western music such as rock and pop, which he called ngak-ngik-ngok (disturbing) music, or in other words, rubbish.

The restriction was part of his battle against what he called western imperialism and an effort to increase nationalism.

He even threw Koes Plus, the most popular band at the time, in jail for performing western music.

That was, of course, a bit extreme.

Today, many of the old Koes Plus tunes are much sought after by fanatic collectors, a result of the fondness people from different generations have for owning and listening to the music from their lives, particularly their teen years.

Parents today, for example, often -- and repeatedly -- boast about the favorite performers from their youth, such as The Beatles, Elvis Presley and BB King, to their children or the neighborhood kids.

For them, the big stars of today are nothing compared to their idols.

In short, the 1960s generation claims the singers and bands from their time are much better than those from the 1970s. This is true for every generation and probably always will be.

Such strong personal beliefs and memories, or at least the desire to cash in on them, have inspired some people to open up shops and sell second-hand music cassettes of the oldies.

A popular flea market on Jl. Surabaya in Central Jakarta has long been known as a haven for people hunting for second-hand cassettes.

Located adjacent to Menteng, the street is filled with kiosks offering a wide range of antiques and second-hand goods, including records and cassettes.

Most of the vendors there have been running their businesses for over 10 years. Amril, for instance, has been at the site since the 1970s.

In a room about eight square meters in size, he sells second- hand cassettes, laser discs, video compact discs and compact discs.

"I have a collection of hundreds here," he told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

The cassettes on display at his kiosk offer a variety of songs in different languages: Indonesian, English, Japanese, Thai and Korean.

The collection includes the best works of top singers like Doris Day, Elvis Presley and newcomers such as Color Me Badd and the Backstreet Boys.

According to Amril, he purchases the second-hand cassettes from Indonesians who sell them for money or because they simply no longer listen to them, and also from expatriates who are going home.

On average, he sells the tapes for between Rp 5,000 and Rp 10,000.

"But old and rare ones like the old pieces of Koes Plus can reach up to Rp 20,000 each," he said.

Celebrities

The majority of his customers are college students and foreigners. "But local celebrities, such as entertainer Tata Dado, comedian Ateng and the late pop singer Broery Pesolima come here too," Amril said.

One of his regular customers is Alvin, who is a student at Pancasila University. "I always buy CDs or cassettes for my collection."

Another popular site for second-hand cassette hunters is Urip Sumohardjo field in East Jakarta.

Located near the crowded Jatinegara train station, there are as many as 30 vendors displaying their collections of second-hand cassettes on wooden tables.

Toto, a graduate of Pembangunan Nasional University in South Jakarta, said he started his business in 1995 along with four friends.

"One of my customers, who was coming here since he was in junior high school, has now joined us in the business," he said, pointing to Yuta, a student at Trisakti University.

Toto, who is open for business from 10 a.m. to around 5 p.m., offers "ordinary" cassettes for between Rp 5,000 and Rp 10,000 each.

"For rare classic rock cassettes, for example, it can cost up to Rp 50,000," he said.

Toto collects the cassettes much the same way as Amril, although he also travels to Bandung to buy or exchange second- hand cassettes with vendors there.

"I go there about once a month because they usually have good and rare tapes," he said.

According to Toto, Amril and several other vendors at both sites, the most-wanted cassettes are those by Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Genesis and Pink Floyd.

"The price can go higher if the cassettes are from certain old recording companies such as Yess, Monalisa and Perina," said Yuta, adding that besides the older customers, many teenagers purchased old cassettes.

One of their regular customers is a local classic rock radio station.

Recycle

According to a customer on Jl. Surabaya, the newer bands simply do not compare to the older rock bands.

"Groups of my generation in the 1970s, like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Deep Purple, are much better with harmony, melody and lyrics," he said. "You can see their songs last a long time and are even 'recycled' by new groups."

People who were just babies when those groups reigned supreme are also avid fans, said another second-hand cassette collector.

"They are much more talented and skilled than today's musicians. Musicians now are getting the advantage of technology. That's why old groups are better, because they can produce high-quality music with limited instruments," said Uwi, a graphic designer who said he was introduced to classic rock by his father.

Most vendors earn around Rp 50,000 a day, although there are exceptions, such as Toto and his friends, who sometimes earn up to Rp 200,000 a day.

"I also sell new 'underground' cassettes which can't be found in this country," said Toto, pointing to a number of cassettes that he purchased through the mail and over the Internet.

The "underground" or "indie" (from the word independent) cassettes are recorded and distributed by small record companies or by the bands themselves, since large companies refuse to distribute the songs due to the limited market.

Such music is mostly ear-deafening heavy metal or "green core", with frightening-sounding groups name and album titles like Neo Hellist, Brutal Sickness and Praise for Satan, according to Toto.

"Green core fans are willing to pay Rp 150,000 per cassette," said Toto.

The large demand for old cassettes has led to street vendors offering the goods in numerous locations, such as Blok M Plaza in South Jakarta, the Depok bus terminal and in front of Plaza Indonesia.

Disroh, a struggling musician, got into the business a year ago by selling his personal collection of cassettes.

"I can always get my cassettes back somewhere else," he said.

About the business, Disroh said: "The market is clear, and the customers are regular and fanatic."