Welcome to the world of Indonesian music format where 'nameless' cassettes roam.

If you're an avid Indonesian music collector like me, you'll know that sometimes it's hard to get the album you want on CD format because there just isn't enough demand to justify its production costs. So we're stuck with buying the cassette format, which will most likely be "artistless." The only thing that will be printed on it is the name of the label company and a disclaimer warning on unauthorized copying of the cassette (not taken seriously by many, I'm sure). Beware if you have a lot of these "artistless" cassettes carelessly scattered around; it's hard to tell one from the other because they will all look the same!

Why are most cassettes are produced this way in Indonesia? Two main reasons:

Firstly, it's cheaper to produce cassettes without the names of the artists (less printing work involved). Secondly, the cassettes can be recycled more easily if the artists' names are absent. If the particular album tak laku or have bad sales, retailers will return the cassettes to the original label companies. The ribbon part inside will be taken out and the cassette cases are recycled. New ribbons is then inserted into these recycled cassettes which are then used to record songs by other artists. The old cassette ribbon can also be recycled and used to record song samples for new budding artists who will then distribute these samples to radio stations, album reviewers and DJs to play and review.

Not all Indonesian cassettes are "naked." Sometimes label companies will have the cassettes bear the artist's name, and this could mean two things. One, the cassettes are sure-sellers and will have a low return rate back to the label company for recycling. The other is that the cassettes were produced in very low quantities and it is predicted that every cassette will sell.

Here are some of the Indonesian cassettes that I own. All but the Ruth Sahanaya album (which I bought in Malaysia) do not bear the names of the artists. Sometimes it gets really drastic to the point where you can hardly tell which is side A or side B, so you'd have to do some scribbling on your own. Sometimes I go to the extent of using a gold marker and labeling the cassettes with the names of the singer, just so I don't go crazy trying to figure out whether I'm looking at a Andre Hehanusa or Jingga or worse, an actual blank tape!

CDs which are more expensive and definitely harder to recycle do bear the proper labeling of each artist (thank God).

Cassettes are produced more than the number of CDs for any given artist in Indonesia solely because cassettes sell better: they are cheaper and more affordable. I see Indonesians as people who appreciate cassette format more so than Malaysians, just from casual observance of my Indo friends who buy and collect cassettes. Plus there are loads of used cassette sellers around Jakarta. The regular ones I visit are located in Jatinegara.

The business logic of cassette production in Indonesia is indeed interesting especially if you consider how vigorous, competitive and progressive the music industry is over there. As one friend put it, everyone is trying to be irit and smart in managing the production with minimal cost loss. There are just so many artists there to cater for; some stay around for a really long time, others produce one hit wonders and fade out in the process of trying to carve a name for themselves. So Indonesia has already found its successful formula to cost-effectively chug out cassettes for consumers.

With the ever-growing popular format of digital music, music enthusiasts will most likely favor CDs and MP3s over cassettes. But as long as you're an Indonesian music lover, these "artistless" cassettes will be around for quite a while, so learn to be more organized with your collection or keep those permanent markers handy!