Pond/Alex

Abstract: Since around 2015 there has been a huge vinyl revival going on world wide. The group which is responsible for this resurgence is mainly gen- eration-z. When you ask someone of this generation what they associate with this format you will often hear the word “nostalgic”. This “nostalgic” revival comes, however, with consequences. The material vinyl record is made of is an highly unstable material called PVC which deteriorates when it comes in contact with oxygen and creates toxic fumes. This makes the lifecycle of the format short and non-recyclable due it also contains lead. The most sustainable physical music format would be none at all, this is however not a realistic expectation. There is however a format which does not deteriorate on its own like vinyl and cassette tapes which also provides a much better sound quality, the compact disc, also known as the CD. When people hear the word CD they usually associate it with broken cases lying in the car and weird records such as “Hits for kids” which you could buy at your local gas station. This is mainly due to the fact that we have not had the time to romanticize the CD like other formats. A factor which also makes the CD hard to love is that there is currently no generation which is old enough to buy record that did not grow up with CD as a necessity, just as generation-z did not grow up with the vinyl as a necessity. This all boils down to a prediction that a CD revival will take place in 5-10 years. This is when we have a new generation of adults which has not ex- perienced the necessity of the format, which will make it easier to enjoy the format. In this project I explore what the current experience around the format is and what it could be in order to aid this future revival.