Buying in an age of streaming
(Photo courtesy of Bess Sadler (CC BY 2.0)) In an age where mostly everyone streams their music, there are still a select few who prefer to buy it, whether is is physical or digital.
October 30, 2018
The rising popularity of streaming services has transformed the way people listen to music, but not everyone has made the switch. In a poll of 50 West Essex students, only three people said they still buy music instead of streaming it.
While many students have found perks to streaming, including personalized playlists and easy discovery of new artists, some students still prefer to buy their music and find it is more rewarding to them to buy than it is to stream.
“I like owning my stuff. I don’t like to feel like I’m borrowing something.” senior Thomas Cassara said.
The feeling of owning a complete library full of their favorite artists is what is keeping some listeners from making the switch from buying to streaming. They value the lost art of a physical music collection in the modern age of streaming, getting a completely different and more hands-on listening experience from a vinyl or a CD than from a phone or computer.
“You can feel the thing and touch it. It’s so much better than a screen.” freshman James Joanow said.
With the new age of streaming has come not only the loss of physical music, but also the loss of listening to a full-length album all the way through. Often times, an artist will write their album with an overlying theme, story or message throughout the tracks. This concept is no longer received by casual listeners who will only hear the top singles from the album promoted through pre-curated playlists on Spotify like Today’s Top Hits and Rap Caviar.
Listeners who continue to buy music digitally through online stores don’t find that it is worth it to purchase a premium membership to streaming sites to get some of the benefits like listening without wifi.
“I buy music on iTunes to save data so I can listen to music offline. You have to buy a membership to listen to music offline, so I just prefer to buy the music I want to listen to instead of getting a subscription.” senior Anna Malone said.
Though streaming music has taken over and become the most commonly preferred medium to listen to music, with passionate listeners continuing to buy records and albums, the question is raised if streaming will ever completely replace buying and the experience it provides for many music lovers.
