WHY YOU SHOULD BUY PHYSICAL COPIES OF MUSIC
Posted On Sessions X, September 17, 2015
Downloading music is without a doubt the most popular form of purchase in the current music industry. Millions of people use iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, and other services to listen to their favorite artists and genres. Digital distribution is a relatively new phenomenon, however; for the majority of the music industry, fans and listeners purchased physical copies of music, from vinyl records to eight-tracks to cassette tapes to CDs. In fact, physical purchase of music is still a common option, and there are benefits to purchasing music in a physical form that digital copies can’t provide. Take a look at this list of just a few of these reasons.
SAFETY OF OWNERSHIP
When you buy a CD, you own a copy of the music you purchased, and as long as you don’t break it or lose it, that copy will be yours forever. With digital music, however, most companies don’t give you right of ownership, only listening rights, which means they can revoke it at any time. Furthermore, music stored on the cloud or on a computer is only good as long as the technology holds up, and any kind of failure means your music is gone for good.
SUPPORTING YOUR FAVORITE BANDS
When you buy a physical copy of your favorite band’s music, you are most likely ensuring they get paid. For most streaming sites, bands make very little off of each listen, and unless they are highly popular, these sites don’t guarantee them a living. Sites like iTunes are better, because you pay for each song, but because you can buy songs individually, albums are discounted as a whole. A physical copy, however, makes sure your band makes a good amount of profit for their work, and will keep them making your favorite songs for much longer.
BETTER QUALITY
Most people agree that physical copies of music actually are higher quality than digital forms of the same songs. This is because music in digital form is compressed, or blended together to make it smaller and easier to send. Music on CDs, however, is not, making it sound deeper and better. Vinyl takes this quality to another level, and often has even deeper sound than CDs, referred to as “fidelity”.
IT’S FUN TO COLLECT
Anyone who loves something gets enjoyment out of collecting different examples, and music is no exception. Digital music is just a list on a screen, but a shelf full of records or CDs shows visitors just how much you love music. Furthermore, having that physical collection on hand gives your guests insight into your taste, and may just spring up a fun conversation.
There are plenty of other pros to buying physical copies of music instead of digital, and these are only a few. However, there is no doubt that buying music in its physical form has benefits that digital can’t provide, and you may find yourself preferring that CD over the MP3 file at the end of the day.
