Vintage Tamil Vinyl Record Prices Soar to Rs 45,000 at Moore Market

Vintage Tamil vinyl records have experienced a massive surge in value over the last 15 years, with rare releases that once sold for as little as ₹50 now commanding prices up to ₹45,000 at Moore Market in Chennai.

A highly speculative market has emerged for these physical music releases, as collectors and individuals who inherited the records now hoard them to sell later at premium prices.

Chennai-based composer Krishna Kumar, popularly known as K, purchased a rare vinyl record of A R Rahman’s 1990s hit film "Gentleman" from Moore Market 15 years ago for just ₹100. During that period, vinyl records were easily available and could be bought for around ₹50 apiece. Today, highly sought-after records cost from ₹5,000 onwards. Kumar was recently offered ₹45,000 by a buyer for his copy of "Gentleman," though he refused to part with it. He explained that the record is one of the last vinyls to be manufactured, as audio cassettes and compact discs (CDs) were beginning to flood the market at the time.

A similar price rise has affected other classic Tamil soundtracks. Kadambari Phanikumar, a collector and professional DJ, noted that a record of "Annakili," which was composer Ilaiyaraaja's first movie, now costs between ₹5,000 and ₹10,000.

When Phanikumar began his collection 15 years ago, he was initially more fascinated by the record sleeves, which featured the original film posters and song details, than the records themselves. Collecting soon became an addiction for him, leading him to scour Moore Market as well as smaller towns across Tamil Nadu and Kerala in search of old hits.

According to Phanikumar, the vinyl scene has changed significantly in the past few years. Vintage records are no longer visible in the open market because collectors and family inheritors keep them to boost their prices for premium resale.