Not so long ago heading into the festive season meant that radio stations released CDs of music associated with their brands and albums full of cool content and concepts that worked for repeated listening. This Christmas I’ve noticed that some are testing out the waters again to see if something, outside of X radio announcer’s new book, sells.

The first is triple j finally testing out the vinyl waters with, for Ausmusic Month, a soon to be available album of all Aussie acts doing covers for a best of Like a Version. See below.

I used to buy, albeit in February not for Christmas, every Hottest 100 album and thought it a missed opportunity to not have a vinyl release with the tangible album experience having such a resurgence. My son told me that he is currently, on Spotify, listening to the entirety of every Hottest 100 since inception. I think the Hottest 100 of Australian Songs – a curated selection on vinyl – would have been a spectacular stocking filler for the hundreds of thousands of us who were invested in the countdown and a little financial boon to the respective artists selected. But the Aussie Best of Like a Version is a good start and if it sells out, fast, we might just see an expansion come Hottest 100 of 2025.

You can preorder the Best of Like a Version here.

In New Zealand, Jason Hoyte, Mike Minogue and Keyzie host The Big Show weekdays from 4pm on Radio Hauraki and of course the podcast catch up version through iHeart. In what I think is a first for a southern hemisphere radio show, they’ve recorded their origin story and released it, exclusively, on vinyl.

Limited release and testing out the waters and the audience for such things. But a great idea and supporting a small business too with a local pressing.

Vinyl is not cheap to make. The Big Show Origin Story is $54, triple j’s Australian best of Like a Version is $80, but if fans are prepared to buy Taylor Swift‘s new album in all the colours and even on sweat and vanilla perfume cassette then tangible evidence of support for your favourite presenter, singer, show and station might just be worth investing in by networks again.

Plus the canny marketing team can make it that one vinyl will contain the gold ticket to see Ed Sheeran live in England or have it as a giveaway to people who call in or message with the prize cupboards formerly filled with ‘promotional copy only’ CDs.

The cessation of radio station albums were, in part, due to the dwindling interest in both CDs and perhaps a reflection too of a lessening of people’s connection with their radio stations.

But imagine if radio stations created content again that was exclusive to them? Like The Big Show has done, something you couldn’t source on Spotify or via the catch up podcast? Something tangible that listeners and fans could literally buy into?

For podcasters, imagine if every Christmas you released an exclusive limited release vinyl, with bonus extras and secret prizes. Could that help fund the product?

I think we underestimate the joy of collecting and owning a piece of something or someone we care about, especially if we feel it is rare, exclusive or holds some additional surprise. There is a vast scope for radio and podcasters to embrace that.

Jen Seyderhelm is a writer, editor and podcaster for Radioinfo. All images, and albums are hers. Apologies to Merrick and Rosso (Merrick Watts and Tim Ross) pictured main. By way of apology Tim Ross has a fantastic book, What a Ripper!, available now which is also a nod to nostalgia and items that defined Australia.