Streaming, although convenient, is not the optimal mode of enjoying media. Subscriptions to services like Spotify for music or Netflix for films and TV are impermanent and leave the subscriber at the platform’s will.
Your favorite album, series or movie can be removed, edited, remastered, censored or altered without forewarning. Your fees to access your curated playlists, recommendations and compilations can increase drastically and unexpectedly.
Herein lies the beauty of physical media: the antidote to the pitfalls of streaming.
Unlike streaming, investing in physical media like vinyl records, CDs, DVDs and VHS tapes is an ethical way of ingesting content as it more directly and substantially benefits artists.
Under the assumption that a subscription for Spotify is $10 a month, “[if a streamer] played only one stream in the month, the per stream payout would be $7 per stream. But if they played [700] streams in that month, then the per-stream effective payout would be a penny,” Vice President and Global Head of Music Vertical at Spotify Charlie Hellman said.
Thus, Spotify takes $3 of the monthly fee and leaves the other $7 to be divided between all of the artists subscribers listen to in that month.
Alternatively, when you buy a record or CD first-hand, the industry standard is that the artist receives 10-20% royalty on that sale. This is a simple yet powerful way to ensure musicians are paid fairly for their artistry.
Engaging with physical media also fosters community. Record stores and video lounges function as important “third places.” In an increasingly physically disconnected society, these spaces exist as a gathering outside of a home or workplace to interact with people with similar interests.
In Tallahassee, stores like Retrofit Records, Rearview Vintage and Vinyl, Real Cool Time Records and Cap City Video Lounge are all popular third spaces, hosting live concerts, film festivals featuring local filmmakers, listening events for newly released albums, screenings of rare films and more.
Online communities like Discogs also supplement these shops and theaters. Forums like these connect music fans across the globe, creating relationships and sharing experiences with others when seeking out purchasing vinyl records and CDs from audiophiles online. This sense of togetherness and opportunity for connection is diminished when one relies solely on streaming.
Another important argument for physical media is in the concept of ownership. In paying for the ability to access a film on HBO Max or an album on Apple Music, the subscriber is still beholden to the platform in that they could abruptly lose access to something they once felt like they owned.
The only sure way to retain media is to physically own it. Movies and television shows are constantly being removed from streaming services and musicians often pull their work from services for various financial, moral and preferential reasons. Paying for an Amazon Music subscription, for example, only lets you access certain albums, while having a physical copy allows you to take ownership of the music.
Aside from the longevity of physical media, owning and collecting CDs, DVDs, vinyls and the like is simply fun.
The art of displaying a record collection, discussing rare copies of movies, having friends rifle through the CDs in your car and the excitement you feel when you finally find the album you have been looking for are all irreplaceable feelings.
Albums aren’t just music; they’re works of art. From the design of the cover to the inserts inside, owning a physical album makes you feel like you have a piece of the artist’s world.
Many albums come with extras like posters, lyric sheets or even personal notes from the band or artist. These items make the experience feel special, as if the artist is inviting you into their creative process. Certain films have extended cuts only on VHS and certain series have episodes that now only exist on DVD.
Streaming does not compare to the benefits of owning an album or film. All sense of community, ownership, excitement, celebration and support of artists is curtailed. Possession and collection of physical media is the far superior method in engaging with media.
Alaina Babb is a Staff Writer for the FSView & Florida Flambeau, the student-run, independent online news service for the FSU community. Email our staff at contact@fsview.com.
This article originally appeared on FSU News: Ownership and community: the value of physical media
Reporting by Alaina Babb, Staff Writer / FSU News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
