Stop the musical crisis
Photo Courtesy of Mick Haupt- Pexels
As of recently, there has been a rise in physical media collection once again. Physical media, specifically in the form of vinyl records, cassettes, and CDs, has been making a comeback, but it is still not nearly as popular as it used to be. In the 60s, 70s, 80s, and even 90s, physical media was very popular and influential. My dad and I have had many conversations revolving around music and have discussed his experience growing up in New York City and going into record shops when a popular artist released new music on the hunt for their vinyl. He has explained to me the excitement he felt when he used to search through vinyl stacks in the stores, looking for something to buy. There was something special about going home with something physically in your hands that nowadays we can no longer emulate.
I think there are a few important things to note about physical media: the tangible experience, true ownership, and better quality. Due to streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify, it is easy to have access to all music that has ever been produced, but that’s not necessarily a good thing.
No longer are the days of going into a record store, spending (possibly) hours browsing the selection of new and “hot” music and then buying something. Buying physical media is something special. Whether it’s a vinyl, cassette, or CD, the experience of unwrapping it from the clear plastic is unlike anything else. Looking at the cover art, examining the song titles and lyrics, and placing the disc into its player were arguably what made the musical experience.
After numerous conversations with my dad about his experiences with music, I’ve found one thing to be true: the events I just described cannot be replicated the same way. Sure, physical media is still sold today, new or used, but with streaming services giving you access to everything, it can never be the same. Listening to your favorite artist’s new album in one sitting through your airpods is a very different feeling than sitting down, placing the record on the player, then placing the needle, and letting it run. Then, you have to flip it. That engagement of flipping the record and placing the needle back down, not knowing what you’ll hear for the first time cannot measure up to any streaming platform feeding you the music.
Another pitfall to streaming services—you don’t own anything. If you’ve ever listened to a song through a streaming service and then months later gone back and it’s unavailable, you understand the frustration. With physical media, you don’t have any issues (unless you scratch it up, of course). Once you buy that record or CD from the record shop, it’s yours. Nobody can take that away from you. You can listen to it over and over and over for your whole life if you please. Streaming services, on the other hand, are restricted by copyright laws. They can only keep songs on their platform if they have permission. This poses a real problem when listeners are looking to listen to something specific. Some artists’ controversial songs have been removed, so you can now only listen through their physical media. Streaming services have you paying so much money each month just for you to not have access to everything.
Along with giving you full ownership over whatever music you buy, physical media causes less fatigue when picking what to listen to. You know when you’re looking for something to watch while eating for half an hour, and you end up not picking anything at all? Well, physical media prevents that and forces you to make a deliberate, curated choice instead.
Finally, when music is transferred onto streaming services, the song becomes compressed or squeezed to save internet data, which results in a loss of high-frequency details. Vinyls and CDs play uncompressed audio with a wide dynamic range, which increases the quality of sound compared to streaming services. Lossless audio strives to have an uncompressed sound, but it’s not exactly the same.
Collecting physical media is a great way to enhance the musical experience, so maybe it’s worth giving a try! I’m aware that collecting isn’t for everyone, as it can be expensive, but if you’re a true musical connoisseur, physical media could be right for you. You can imagine yourself back in the 1980s playing your favorite vinyl while dancing in your room!