Sony Music goes back to vinyl records

The decision comes a few months after Sony equipped its Tokyo studio with a cutting lathe, a machine for making master discs needed for the manufacture of vinyl records. It also comes at a time of demand for outdated black plastic records, which now occupy a key market niche.

Vinyls were expected to disappear following the rise of CDs, digital downloads and streaming. But according to consulting firm Deloitte, world-wide vinyl revenue is anticipated to reach $1bn this year while sales of CDs and digital downloads continue to fall. In recent years, vinyl records began resurfacing through events such as the annual Record Store Day in April for which record companies produce special limited-edition singles and albums.

“They said the CD had killed it and that digital downloads had left it dead and buried: but vinyl is back,” BBC correspondent Jonty Bloom was quoted as saying. “Sony, which played a major part in killing off vinyl by developing CDs, has seen them replaced in turn by other music technology such as downloads and streaming, but vinyl is increasingly popular once again.

“The format has been saved by a resurgence in demand, as it attracts not only nostalgic older consumers, but also younger generations who have rediscovered records, especially in clubs and at music festivals.”

Bloom said Sony was facing a challenge finding old engineers who make records, and that the reason vinyl records were resurfacing was that they can be sold in shops. He argued that the UK witnessed more record sales compared to streaming platforms.

The deaths of music legends is also a factor in the sales surge of vinyls, as people buy records as reminders. When English singer David Bowie died last year, he became the bestselling vinyl artist, with five albums retrospectively featuring in the top 30.

Meanwhile, Sony has not revealed which titles it would be pressing in vinyl but media reports suggest that the line-up would include popular Japanese songs from the past, including Sony-owned titles, as well as chart-topping contemporary albums.