From Streaming To Spinning
Or why do I love CDs so much as the kid of the streaming services?
There is a growing consensus online that streaming services are diminishing the anticipation, musical quality, and emotional connection that people used to have with music.
You know, I find it hard to relate to this because I didn’t grow up in the era when people stood in line just to get a fresh taste of the album on the CD.
My reality was more connected to the mp3 music, which my friends and I downloaded on our cellphones and transferred to each other through Bluetooth. After some time being a pirate of music on different shady websites, I discovered streaming services, I haven’t left them since.
So far, it sounds like a regular acquaintance with the music of Gen Z individuals, right?
I used to think the same way until a year ago when I realized I wanted to explore new things.
Initially, I used cassettes and a cheap $20 cassette player that only lasted a few weeks.
However, I wasn’t a fan of cassettes because of the inferior quality of my player, so I eventually switched to CDs.
And that is where I stopped….
My first two CDs were Dark Side of The Moon by Pink Floyd and Late Registration by Kanye West.
I bought another $20 player, this time a Discman from the mid-90s, and let me tell you, the music never sounded that good to me.
It was like I was listening to a live concert. I didn’t even know back then that the term “palpable” can be applied to the sound of something.
Since then, my journey as a CD collector has started. I bought some bags to carry CDs and put them in my beaten-up but sexy-looking Discman.
It became my new hobby, no, I would even say obsession. I would take my bike drive to thrift stores, and start my CD hunt, usually catching something solid here and there.
I started getting albums that meant something to me and created memories within those sounds. I am such a person who would rather get an item and create a specific memory with it than take a photo of the specific moment.
To this day, I collect CDs, and it is not about playing them anymore. Instead, it is something that brings me closer to the crafting process of the music created by the industry and, obviously, memories.
If I go abroad, for example, I will always try to find some record stores with CDs.
In the era of consumerism, this became my consumption and my way to find relief or release stress.
I was drawn to the idea of tangibility and the feeling of owning a physical copy of my favorite album, which led me to become a genuine purchaser of it.
We are coming to the first question that I would like to pose to you:
If you ever collected physical elements of music, do/did you feel the same way?
Now I will try to elaborate on what I don’t like in the digital form of music:
Oversaturation of the Music.
Because of the oversaturation of music on streaming platforms, you become overwhelmed with choices. Sometimes, you do not know what to choose. This crazy selection creates an overwhelming sense. Have you ever noticed that humans experience stress when visiting the grocery store or the drugstore? The vast array of choices leads to heightened arousal, but the uncertainty surrounding these choices creates a sense of stress for us.
Streaming platform strongly encourages short-time attention span and develop it.
What I really liked about cassettes is that you can’t simply choose the track you would like to play. Yeah, obviously you can fast-forward, but it is going to take ages.
This was one of the first things that I noticed. Despite my liking the track, I have an urge to skip it because I already got enough of the dopamine from it, and my nature of constantly scrolling and seeking new information creates this urge. CDs and other types of physical music don’t work this way.
If you put the CD in, you can’t switch up the artists that promptly, which personally enhances the album experience and makes me appreciate the art even more.
Modern quality and perception of music.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Who am I to complain about the modern quality of music, what I mean by that is the purpose behind music creation. Nowadays artist’s goal is to go viral on TikTok by creating a short, catchy snippet of the track and recreation of the same song but with different useless additions (such as instrumentals and acapella). Not everyone, of course. Let’s not create essential assumptions about the whole industry, but denying this tendency would be wrong.
You may wonder how getting a physical copy of the product can enhance the quality of streaming platform outputs. By doing this, you reduce the superficial aspects of the product and experience it as a more authentic presence.
Haven’t you noticed that when you look up something on the internet, it may not look that engaging, but as soon as it arrives and gets in your hands, you most likely are going to fall in love with it?
This is a bit of an interactive article, so I would want to ask you my second question:
Do you think streaming platforms hinder the album experience?
Now, coming to the most interesting part:
Why are CDs the best form of physical music?
I will put it forward. I have never tried vinyl, but I automatically prefer CDs over them and cassettes. Why?
- Reasonable prices. It is true that vinyl is much more expensive right now, and with their increasing popularity, it is hard to collect them without feeling the impact on your wallet. As far as cassettes go, prices are unbelievably high, and if you don’t record only the cassettes by yourself, buying them manually is outrageously expensive.
- Autonomy. I enjoy CDs and cassettes because they are portable, which gives me a sense of independence. Vinyl can be more challenging in that regard. I am a student, and moving from one part of the town to another is a daily routine, so I want to feel comfortable moving this way.
- Affordable playing systems. Need in good player and acoustics? This goes for both the cassettes and vinyl. If you want to get something portable for cassettes with good quality, be ready to pay at least $70 for a good quality Walkman. With vinyl, the prices get even much higher because you need speakers. Cassette desks can also be considered, but they don’t compare to the number of high-quality CD players, compact ones, and decks on the market. For example, for $25, you most certainly will get a great Discman with a stupendous bass boost function, so think about it.
However, where CDs fall short compared to vinyl is in the warmth and potentially more immersive experience provided by quality vinyl records.
The difference is not huge, but if it is important for you, this should be in consideration.
And my last question is:
What do you prefer (vinyl, cassettes, CDs), and why?
To sum it up, all 3 music formats are amazing and superior to the most dominant one: digital music. Enjoy your music!
