Old Recordings Gain New Listeners in Brazil
2024-05-06
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1Plastic music recordings, or vinyl records, are popular again in Brazil.
2In 2023, more records were sold than compact discs (CDs) and DVDs for the first time in many years.
3That information comes from Pro-Música, an association of Brazil's largest music production companies.
4The new interest in the pressed vinyl discs and high-quality but less costly record players is bringing fame to singers who thought they had been forgotten.
5Catia de França is 77.
6In the 1970s and 1980s, she traveled through Brazil performing her music.
7But she was not popular when CDs replaced records.
8Her music was lost to a new generation who did not use old record players.
9By 2021, de França was living in a small community in the mountains above Rio de Janeiro.
10She said it was "where you can't even imagine an internet signal."
11But one day, she got a telephone call from the head of a small record company.
12He said he wanted to make a new version of her first record from 1979 called 20 Words Around the Sun.
13"This must be a prank," de França thought at the time.
14But it was not.
15The producer wanted to make more copies of her 40-year-old record.
16Today, at 77, de França is again traveling Brazil performing her music for new fans.
17Her new fame is part of a rising interest in records.
18Pro-Música research shows that from 2022 to 2023 the money coming from sales of records in Brazil increased from about $1 million to $2.2 million.
19It is 15 times higher today than in 2019.
20Carlos Savalla is a 66-year-old music producer in Rio de Janeiro.
21He owns about 60,000 records and pays attention to their value.
22He said many people buy and sell used records on websites and social media sites like Facebook or at record stores.
23Brazilians and visitors are looking for samba, bossa nova, tropicalismo and other popular forms of music.
24The trend is in more places than Brazil. In the U.S., sales of vinyl records brought in $1.4 billion in 2023.
25Some say the interest in Taylor Swift brought about a jump in record purchases.
26Swift's 2022 record - Midnights - was the first big release to have its records sell more than CDs since 1987.
27Martin Froes reports on music in Brazil.
28He said today's top-selling records do not come from the most popular artists.
29They release their songs to digital streaming services.
30But new music groups and classic singers drive the sales of vinyl records.
31By 2008, all of Brazil's vinyl record production centers closed because of digital music services.
32But after records became popular again in Europe and the U.S., João Augusto and his partners decided to buy an old vinyl pressing factory called Polysom.
33Luciano Barreira is the company's general manager.
34He said they began producing old records with "commercial appeal and demand."
35Now, the factory helps record companies and independent music artists put their music on vinyl records.
36After 15 years, Polysom has pressed 1.3 million records and other companies have re-opened factories.
37João Noronha started his pressing center in 2019.
38He and two friends started a business called Tres Selos.
39They send their customers one newly pressed record a month.
40"We didn't expect much," Noronha said, but in the first month of operations, 120 customers paid for the reissue of Sinceramente, a 1982 album by Sérgio Sampaio, a Brazilian singer from the 1970s and '80s.
41A few years later, one of Noronha's partners, Rafael Cortes, saw that de França's record was selling in the used record market for $135.
42That is when they started working to get permission to re-release her 40-year-old recording.
43On the first phone call, Cortes said, de França was "suspicious."
44She wanted to know why anyone wanted her old music.
45"I think her mistrust comes from the fact that the industry often pushed her aside," he said.
46Cortes and music writer Chris Fuscaldo said de França was combative, firm in her ideas, and off-beat.
47Although she was performing with many of Brazil's most popular artists and gaining listeners, larger record companies like Columbia Records did not spend the money to advertise de França.
48Fuscaldo has written about the lack of support women received in Brazil's music history.
49She said part of the reason de França is popular now is that she was suppressed before.
50"She's absolutely brilliant," Isadora Attab, a fan, said at a recent performance.
51Some of the larger music companies are starting to get interested in vinyl records in Brazil.
52The Brazilian partner of Universal Music now has a service.
53It sends customers new pressings of famous Brazilian singers like Gilberto Gil, Chico Buarque and Maria Bethania along with foreign singers like Billie Eilish.
54De França might be known only to a small number of music fans around Brazil, but she is now reaching 30- and 40-year-old listeners.
55She recently performed for a crowd at a former industrial storage building in Sao Paulo.
56She compared herself to the fictional bird, the phoenix.
57"I was reborn, rising from the ashes like a phoenix, disquieting my enemies..."
58As she finished, someone put warm clothing over her to protect her from the cold night air.
59She looked like an old woman, not like the star she has finally become.
60I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Gena Bennett.
1Plastic music recordings, or vinyl records, are popular again in Brazil. 2In 2023, more records were sold than compact discs (CDs) and DVDs for the first time in many years. That information comes from Pro-Música, an association of Brazil's largest music production companies. 3The new interest in the pressed vinyl discs and high-quality but less costly record players is bringing fame to singers who thought they had been forgotten. 4Catia de França is 77. In the 1970s and 1980s, she traveled through Brazil performing her music. But she was not popular when CDs replaced records. Her music was lost to a new generation who did not use old record players. 5By 2021, de França was living in a small community in the mountains above Rio de Janeiro. She said it was "where you can't even imagine an internet signal." 6But one day, she got a telephone call from the head of a small record company. He said he wanted to make a new version of her first record from 1979 called 20 Words Around the Sun. 7"This must be a prank," de França thought at the time. But it was not. The producer wanted to make more copies of her 40-year-old record. 8Today, at 77, de França is again traveling Brazil performing her music for new fans. 9Her new fame is part of a rising interest in records. Pro-Música research shows that from 2022 to 2023 the money coming from sales of records in Brazil increased from about $1 million to $2.2 million. It is 15 times higher today than in 2019. 10Carlos Savalla is a 66-year-old music producer in Rio de Janeiro. He owns about 60,000 records and pays attention to their value. He said many people buy and sell used records on websites and social media sites like Facebook or at record stores. Brazilians and visitors are looking for samba, bossa nova, tropicalismo and other popular forms of music. 11The trend is in more places than Brazil. In the U.S., sales of vinyl records brought in $1.4 billion in 2023. Some say the interest in Taylor Swift brought about a jump in record purchases. Swift's 2022 record - Midnights - was the first big release to have its records sell more than CDs since 1987. 12Martin Froes reports on music in Brazil. He said today's top-selling records do not come from the most popular artists. They release their songs to digital streaming services. But new music groups and classic singers drive the sales of vinyl records. 13By 2008, all of Brazil's vinyl record production centers closed because of digital music services. But after records became popular again in Europe and the U.S., João Augusto and his partners decided to buy an old vinyl pressing factory called Polysom. 14Luciano Barreira is the company's general manager. He said they began producing old records with "commercial appeal and demand." Now, the factory helps record companies and independent music artists put their music on vinyl records. After 15 years, Polysom has pressed 1.3 million records and other companies have re-opened factories. 15João Noronha started his pressing center in 2019. He and two friends started a business called Tres Selos. They send their customers one newly pressed record a month. 16"We didn't expect much," Noronha said, but in the first month of operations, 120 customers paid for the reissue of Sinceramente, a 1982 album by Sérgio Sampaio, a Brazilian singer from the 1970s and '80s. 17A few years later, one of Noronha's partners, Rafael Cortes, saw that de França's record was selling in the used record market for $135. That is when they started working to get permission to re-release her 40-year-old recording. 18On the first phone call, Cortes said, de França was "suspicious." She wanted to know why anyone wanted her old music. 19"I think her mistrust comes from the fact that the industry often pushed her aside," he said. 20Cortes and music writer Chris Fuscaldo said de França was combative, firm in her ideas, and off-beat. Although she was performing with many of Brazil's most popular artists and gaining listeners, larger record companies like Columbia Records did not spend the money to advertise de França. 21Fuscaldo has written about the lack of support women received in Brazil's music history. She said part of the reason de França is popular now is that she was suppressed before. 22"She's absolutely brilliant," Isadora Attab, a fan, said at a recent performance. 23Some of the larger music companies are starting to get interested in vinyl records in Brazil. The Brazilian partner of Universal Music now has a service. It sends customers new pressings of famous Brazilian singers like Gilberto Gil, Chico Buarque and Maria Bethania along with foreign singers like Billie Eilish. 24De França might be known only to a small number of music fans around Brazil, but she is now reaching 30- and 40-year-old listeners. She recently performed for a crowd at a former industrial storage building in Sao Paulo. She compared herself to the fictional bird, the phoenix. 25"I was reborn, rising from the ashes like a phoenix, disquieting my enemies..." 26As she finished, someone put warm clothing over her to protect her from the cold night air. She looked like an old woman, not like the star she has finally become. 27I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Gena Bennett. 28Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on reports by the Associated Press. 29_______________________________________________ 30Words in This Story 31vinyl -n. a kind of plastic used to make records 32disc -n. a round, flat object 33prank -n. a trick or a joke played on someone 34trend -n. the direction of change of something, often of growing, or decreasing popularity 35classic -adj. an example of one of the best things from a certain time 36customer -n. a person or group who buys a good or a service 37suspicious -adj. not trusting, suspecting something is wrong 38brilliant -adj. very impressive and successful 39We want to hear from you. Tell us about some old music you have discovered. When did the artists first make their music and how did you learn about it?