Thanks to technological innovations, music has undergone a highly digital transformation, with YouTube, Spotify and other music apps and platforms. However, Malayalam actor-director Vineet Sreenivasan believes that many music lovers still hold on dearly to their tape recorders and Walkmans (for the 2000s kids, these are portable cassette players) and prefer listening to music through audio cassettes and CDs over their digital iterations. Sreenivasan, who is also a playback singer, has announced a special gift for this section of music lovers. The soundtrack of his next Malayalam movie, Hridayam, will also be launched in audio cassettes and audio CDs, a limited edition.
On Friday, July 16, director Vineeth Srinivasan announced that the audio rights of the movie have been bagged by Think Music and revealed that they will be launching a limited edition of audio cassettes and audio CDs. This will probably be the first film to launch both analogue and digital versions of the soundtrack in recent years. Hridayam stars actors Pranav Mohanlal, Kalyani Priyadarshan, and Darshana Rajendran in the lead roles.
“Hridayam audio rights acquired by Think Music. Music lovers, collectors, and vintage enthusiasts. We are thrilled to officially announce that through Hridayam, Think Music is bringing back Audio Cassettes - Limited Edition along with Audio CDs for a wholesome listening experience! Together let's bring back the golden era of listening!” the announcement poster reads.
Sharing the poster, director Vineeth noted that the decision was not taken solely for nostalgia, but underlined how many people prefer using gadgets such as recorders and walkmans and own physical copies of the soundtrack, rather than streaming the audio tracks digitally.
“The people who prefer to listen to music through physical copies, maintaining the tape recorders/Walkman in great condition and preserving a huge collection of audiotapes from the past are still around... This is not just about nostalgia... During a time when anything and everything is turning digital, these are the souls who feel that analogue has the quality to touch our hearts. And I have always felt they are right. This is our gift for them (sic),” Vineeth wrote in a Facebook post.
Touted to be a musical, Hridayam’s soundtrack consists of 15 tracks. Notable singers such as Hesham Abdul Wahab, KS Chithra, Mohammed Maqbool Mansoor, Sachin Warrier, Job Kurian, Unni Menon and Aravind Venugopal have been roped in as playback singers for the album. Notably, actors Prithviraj and Darshana Rajendran are also on board as playback singers for the venture. The list of audio tracks was unveiled by the makers on June 21, marking the occasion of World Music Day.