Traders cash in on people's love for old cassettes

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."