Why do Vinh people have to go to Hanoi to buy music CDs?

(Baonghean) - The fact that CD stores are empty or suddenly closed is explained by the fact that original CDs are expensive and even pirated and copied CDs are being "crushed" by a new "competitor": the internet - where you can download all kinds of music and movies for free.

More and more new websites are emerging to serve the public’s need for “free art”. Many personal websites are also quick to post the latest updates on art products on social networks. That is the main reason why the pirated CD market and the original CD market with control labels are shrinking, even shrinking.

At a tape and disc stall at 67 Ho Tung Mau Street (Vinh City) - a place where about 5-6 years ago, around the Lunar New Year, people jostled to buy music discs, there were days when the shop owner earned tens of millions of dong from tapes and discs, with a profit of nearly half of that. That was the golden age of tape and disc shops, in Vinh City there were hundreds of copying stalls.

Now that the Lunar New Year 2017 is approaching, the CD store is still deserted, only occasionally a few drivers come in to buy a few pirated CDs. The owner of the store said: “This year we are not importing new original CDs, only selling the old ones, sometimes we can’t sell any original CDs for a whole week... We are planning to change our business next year. If we sell music CDs like this, we won’t be able to pay the rent.”

The CD and DVD stall on Ho Tung Mau Street (Vinh City) is empty of customers.

Vinh City used to be considered the “capital” of CDs and DVDs, with dozens of large and small CD stalls along Ngu Hai Street. Back then, even the smallest stalls with CD recording and copying services could support a family. But now those stalls have given way to pawnshops and car repair shops.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thang - a former record store owner said: "In the past, my store had more than ten thousand music discs, mainly high-quality ones, and music lovers often came to me whenever there were new discs on the market, but now they have to be closed down. When I transferred the store, I only sold them off. That was still lucky, some people when the store closed just took them home to listen to or gave them to relatives..."

In districts such as Hung Nguyen, Nam Dan, Nghi Loc, music CD stalls used to be “flourishing”, but now they are completely absent. Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thuy – Head of the Department of Culture of Hung Nguyen district said: “Back then, CDs were popular, so people selling CDs made huge profits.

However, in recent years, there are very few people in the area who sell this item, especially original CDs are almost non-existent. Many times, even if we want to buy them to listen to, we have to go to Vinh, and it is very rare to find a place that sells them."

Mr. Nguyen Trung Thanh in Hung Binh Ward (Vinh City) said: “I am very addicted to lyrical music CDs and really want to buy original CDs, firstly because of the sound quality, secondly because the original CDs can be stored longer, but nowadays it is very difficult to find original CDs as fewer and fewer people are participating in this business. And buying music CDs used to be just a street away, but now I have to travel all the way to Hanoi.”

On the other hand, at wholesale markets, people still see stalls selling pirated discs and tapes with unhealthy content. Each copyrighted DVD or VCD costs 40,000 - 120,000 VND; however, most stores sell pirated discs, with an average price of only 20,000 VND, while cheap discs cost 5,000 - 10,000 VND. Customers can only watch pirated tapes and discs a few times or not at all.

Mr. Pham Tien Dung - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said: "Previously, twice a year, during the summer and before Tet, the cultural inspectors checked the activities of tape and disc stores. After each inspection, up to 90% of the discs were found to be pirated.

Currently, the new mechanism allows establishments to exploit movies and music, self-publishing but must comply with legal regulations. Copying technology and supply sources are extremely abundant, so dealers exploit them themselves without having to pay copyright fees. Therefore, along with the business of pirated discs, stores are losing customers."

Thanh Nga