We are in the age of streaming on demand. Everything is at our fingertips (good Wi-Fi/data signal dependent of course). It would have been unthinkable just thirty years ago to be able to instantly play the song that was stuck in your head, unless it was one you owned on CD or on Cassette, and you happened to be at home, or somehow carrying it with you in your bag, along with your handy Sony Walkman.
Now, I can be anywhere, and listen to anything instantly, and, well, it’s a bit underwhelming to be honest. I’m not disappointed exactly, it’s great to be living in this age, but there is something missing, there is some indescribable magic lost in now having music as this strange immaterial, fleeting thing on Spotify or Apple music.
Looking back at physical music sales in 2022, it seems many people are feeling the same instant-gratification fatigue. According to The Digital Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA), £280.4 million worth of physical music copies (Vinyl, CDs, Cassettes etc.) were sold in the UK in 2022. Despite this being a 3.8% drop from the previous year, physical sales are still remarkably strong, particularly when streaming seems to dominate the market with revenues of £1,661.1 million.
“There is some indescribable magic lost in now having music as this strange immaterial, fleeting thing on Spotify or Apple music.”
Vinyl has seen an outrageous growth in sales, amounting to £150.5 million (an 11% rise in the last year alone). For the first time since 1987, Vinyl outsold CDs by value in 2022. This demonstrates that there is still interest in collecting physical copies of music, which must also include the younger streaming-obsessed generation. So, whilst physical sales may never match or surpass the streaming market dominance of companies like Spotify, this information indicates that Vinyl, CD, and Cassette live on, despite the odds.
“After all, with these physical copies of music, there is always a story attached, and something warm, fuzzy, and undoubtedly charming.”
Perhaps physical music sales were helped when we were suddenly forced to slow down and actually figure out what matters, whilst stuck in our homes for an indescribable period of time? Perhaps we realised, while surrounded by all the clutter of the last decade and little else to do; the magic of CDs, and the crusty Vinyl sleeve of Fleetwood Mac that our parents still have in the living room? After all, with these physical copies of music, there is always a story attached, and something warm, fuzzy, and undoubtedly charming.