Music has never been more accessible than it is today. With the advent of streaming, having the power to play almost any song from past to present at our fingertips, the world has limitless options to listen to. With a tap of a finger, you can easily play different songs regardless of the artist, album, or genre.
However, there has been a recent rise in fans and people continuing to buy music on physical media, like CDs and vinyl. Though the glory days of these formats are long over, a significant amount of music is still being bought through these physical means, despite the seeming ease and convenience that streaming allows.
There are actually a lot of great reasons why one might be interested in buying physical music in the current age, and if you resonate with any of these points on the list, then it might just be time for you to consider buying.
1. You Have Direct Access To Their Music
The streaming service offers a lot of variety in their music, with a vast catalog easily available at our fingertips. In a world with limitless consumer options, having basically the world’s music accessible through a simple monthly fee. The streaming service’s best feature is its convenience, and it makes sense that this has become most people’s default for listening to music.
However, there remain quite a number of caveats to the streaming service. First of all, not every song in the world is available on them, and some are even just exclusive to certain apps. There’s also the case of WiFi, and although premium subscriptions to download music exist, it doesn’t guarantee that a song or album that you didn’t download will always be available.
Safe to say, songs and albums on your CDs, vinyl, or cassettes will always be available for you to listen to. If you ever have a song in mind right now, you can always just pop in the disc and not worry if there’s enough signal or if you downloaded it ahead of time.
2. Physical Music Has Bonuses
Aside from the fact that your music will always be physically available to you, there’s also the matter of exclusivity on physical media. A lot of artists have special tracks on their physical records, whether it be remixes, alternate versions, or even brand new bonus tracks that are only available on physical copies.
It serves as a nice surprise when you spend a little extra money on the artist and hear special material that isn’t available anywhere else. And you know that track is always available for you to listen to whenever you want.
3. It Directly Supports The Artists
While the streaming model has allowed great accessibility for consumers to listen to whatever kind of music they want, it sadly doesn’t provide solid financial compensation to the artists. As the price of much music around the world was condensed into a monthly fee, it also means that the payment of artists depends on their share of listeners.
If you always wanted to provide direct support to your favorite artists, purchasing physical copies of their music is a simple and great way to do so. Especially if your artist comes from a more indie or independent background, they will truly appreciate the support.
4. Physical Music Is (And Has) Merchandise
Another reason why people are interested in their own physical copies of their favorite music is because of the collectible aspect of it. CDs, vinyl, and even cassettes are great ways to show your love for your favorite artist, and the artist pays them back in kind with many features in these physical records. Liner notes, song lyrics, posters, pictures—there’s a lot in it that can encourage you to buy them physically.
Additionally, it’s always just nice to have physical music that you can store on your bookshelf or on your walls. CDs and vinyl of the album’s cover art are great ways to showcase your love of the music on your bedroom walls. And if you want to listen to the music, it’s as easy as popping out the record and putting it in the player.
5. Their Music Is Always Yours
There’s a saying that whatever you put on the internet is permanent forever, and in a way, that is true. However, it is a bit of a different story when it comes to streaming services, where sometimes legal troubles or even the artist’s discretion can block or suddenly remove music from streaming services.
When you’re paying for a streaming service, you’re not paying for the music itself, but for access to that music, and that access can vary at times. Thankfully, once you purchase a piece of music physically, that version of the music will always be available for you to listen to regardless. The music is now “yours,” and you’ll be able to listen to it whenever you want.
Despite the dominance of streaming services, there are still a lot of reasons why people buy music physically from their favorite artists. And if you haven’t ever considered buying a piece to commemorate your love for an artist, then maybe it is time to do so.
