How is OPM faring on vinyl?

How is OPM faring on vinyl?

by rick olivares

There is no question that vinyl is back as a preferred medium for music fans all over the world. Now how does Original Pilipino Music (from the albums recorded back in the Golden Age of the 1960s-1980s all the way up to today) fare in the market?

Let’s clarify OPM to include not only the music (pop music in general) but to also include the independent and underground releases that one can find in the market today. So not everything is on a major label. There are no new releases on vinyl from major record labels except for their reissues. All the new releases on vinyl come from independent and underground labels.

We spoke to some of the Kagatan music fair sellers about their observations about how OPM performs in the vinyl market.

The consensus is that OPM on vinyl does well. However, one thing that we inferred from our interviews and observations as a music enthusiast is that price has a lot to do with how quick it moves. 

We spoke to Arbie Bulaong (Treskul Records), Omeng Rodolfa (Spins Records), Roland Savellano (Lahn’s Records), Paolo Dagdag (Old School Music Project), Remy Cabaltera (Remnants Thrift Store), and Elwyn Zalamea (New Vintage Culture) on their thoughts about OPM on vinyl.

How is the demand for OPM today?

Bulaong: It is still high. The usual big name artists are sure sellers – APO Hiking Society, the Dawn, Identity Crisis, Juan Dela Cruz Band, Sharon Cuneta… the big names. For the artists today, Up Dharma Down’s vinyl release for Capacities is in sought after by fans. I am not sure kung marami na press but marami naghahanap. The Pinoy Punk releases are always popular. Anything punk kahit foreign mabilis bilhin. Yung mga really hard to find releases tulad ng RJ and the Riots, Electromaniacs, Speed Glue & Shinki, Third World Chaos kahit bootleg pinapatulan.

Dagdag: In demand pa rin up to now. Marami naghahanap ng OPM at masaya ako kasi nagkaroon ng value ang lumabas nung araw. Kung bakit maraming naghahanap—siguro kasi yung kabataan nila madalas nila marinig sa radio at telebisyon yung musika kaya naghahanap sila ngayon. Wala silang budget noon at ngayon meron na. 

The popular titles on my list are Ric Segreto, VST & Company, Hotdog, the Bagets soundtrack, Boyfriends, Juan Dela Cruz Band, Soul Jugglers, Wadab, Identity Crisis, Bong Gabriel, Maria Cafra, Sampaguita, Mike Hanopol, at marami pang iba.

Rodolfa: Up to now marami naghahanap ng OPM. VST & Company, Boyfriends, Apo Hiking Society, Juan Dela Cruz Band. One foreigner was even looking for the Soul Jugglers! 

Savellano: Marami naghahanap ng OPM. Ang challenge lang ay yung makakita na makinis na kopya. Pahirapan maghanap ng ganyan. Malakas din sa online yung mga naghahanap ng OPM.

Cabaltera: When we opened Remnants in 1994, pawala na yung mga long playing records. That time, pag meron nag-offer ng OPM, tinatangihan ko. Bagito pa ako noon. But even before the vinyl revival, we started getting OPM. Bakit siya mahal? Kasi konti lang in circulation unlike yung foreign artists na meron pressings from different countries. Because of the lower print runs, the demand is higher.

Zalamea: In my case, not as much unlike two years ago. Baka rin kasi mahal siya. It has to stop at some point. It can only go as high as what people are willing to pay.

We also asked who are buying? Is it Generation X? The Millennial and post-millennial generation?

All agree that it is both. Abroad, it has been acknowledged that it is the millennials who form the bulk of buyers today, but here in the Philippines, Gen X has the buying power, but so do millennials who are catching up.

We also asked each seller what was the most expensive OPM record they sold and the answers are shocking.

Bulaong: Most recently, I was able to sell a sealed copy of Mike Hanopol’s Buhay Musikero for 12K!

Dagdag: Ang pinakamataas ko nabenta is yung Up in Arms album ng Juan Dela Cruz Band; yung first album nila. Siyempre, Gen Xer yung bumili and I sold it for 38K kahit hindi ganun ka-perfect yung condition niya. Imagine if perfect or sealed. It will go higher. The next highest sold record was original na (Pinoy Punk) album ng Third World Chaos. Ang bumili ay German collector for P35,000!

Zalamea: I sold a near mint copy of the Juan Dela Cruz Band’s Greatest Hits (in its original shrink wrap) for 10K and this was in 2013. Also an original press of 10 of Another Kind for the same price before the reissue came out.

Savellano: Nabenta ko yung The Very Best of Sharon Cuneta, High School and Sharon & Love albums for 6K each. Nabenta ko yung Maskara ng Juan Dela Cruz Band’s for 6K and the Dawn’s self-titled debut for 8K.

Rodolfa: The most expensive na nabenta ko is Juan Dela Cruz Band’s Kahit Anong Mangyari for 15K.

  

Cabaltera: Nabenta namin yung Up In Arms ng Juan Dela Cruz Band for 13K. And the condition wasn’t so good. If it is in excellent condition, it will go for much higher. Maybe 30K.