In order to create a song that goes extinct, we had to research the materials available for a record in which would degrade over time. Since our budget was about 20K total for the entire project, we needed to keep the cost very low for the record manufacturing. The first option was using acetate laquer, which would degrade, but were too pricey. The option we came upon after much research, were lathe-cut polycarbonate records. There is a manufacturer we found who specializes in this type of process.
The technology of vinyls that degrade over time is not a new concept. This process has been used mainly during WWII for propaganda purposes, where the records contained messages of speeches from dictators. These records at the time were the cheapest to make, so acetate lacquer was used. We, however, wanted to take this old technology
and use it in a way that is seemingly counter intuitive – music that degrades and disappears over time. Typically the artist wants their music to outlive themselves, and rarely encourages people to rip it and share it for free.