Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Melody – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Towards the end of the year, Melodiya resumed record production at its own plant in Novosibirsk. Kultura asked Karina Abramyan, First Deputy General Director of Melodiya JSC, to comment on this news.
— How long has the idea of starting a record production been around? What's behind the recent increased demand for vinyl from music lovers, and especially record collectors?
"This idea came to Melodiya CEO Andrey Krichevsky in the summer of 2024. So, the time from the initial concept to its implementation was, give or take, fourteen months."
As for the increased demand that's been evident over the past ten to fifteen years… I think it's connected to the trend toward "owning art." In our case, vinyl is a unique way to "own music." The medium has now reached a certain plateau: that is, mass-market vinyl sales are unlikely—everything "in the millions" is now digital.
— Four "first signs" of the renewed Russian vinyl industry: David Tukhmanov's album "On the Wave of My Memory," Zodiac's Disco Alliance record, recordings by the VIA "Dos-Mukasan," and also… "Autogenic training for alcohol abusers. A session of emotional-stress psychotherapy for those wishing to quit smoking."
"The release of autogenic training is, of course, a pre-New Year's joke, but the recording is nonetheless quite interesting and valuable, as this material hasn't been released on physical media for over forty years. And while that's a joke, few people remember that, in addition to psychological training, this record also features a wealth of wonderful music: Vivaldi, Saint-Saëns, and Massenet performed by great musicians—the Rudolf Barshai Orchestra, the Bolshoi Theater Violin Ensemble, and others. As for the other releases, it's simple: these records were consistently immensely popular in the USSR and continue to attract interest from music lovers today."
— Which task is more of a priority for Melodiya: reissuing famous records from its extensive back catalogue or releasing new vinyl recordings?
For now, we're primarily focused on releasing the most iconic recordings from our archive. We've already prepared albums dedicated to the works of Alexandra Pakhmutova, Anna German, and the ensembles Pesnyary and Orlan. There will also be time-tested classical music releases featuring artists like Grigory Sokolov and Vladimir Spivakov. We also plan to release several renowned children's records, including "Ali Baba" and "Old Man Hottabych." All of them will go on sale in the spring of 2026.
"The need to revive the domestic vinyl industry is truly long overdue. However, isn't there a concern that something will hinder the triumphant march of records? In the late 1980s and early 1990s, as we recall, records lost the battle to compact discs."
Observations over the past few decades have shown that vinyl has not only made a comeback, but has firmly established itself in music lovers' music collections. However, I wouldn't draw any parallels with CDs in this case. After all, if we're talking about new trends in this area, Zoomers have once again shown a keen interest in both CDs and DVDs. So, I believe all the previous media will now be able to coexist harmoniously in niche formats within the music community. And that's encouraging: let all flowers bloom!
Denis Bocharov, December 22, 2025
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.