Digital vs. Physical Music

Physical Music

One of the first CDs I ever devoured as a kid was Linkin Park’s ‘Hybrid Theory’. I listened to that album on a loop from age 9 to 11, I knew every lyric and musical breakdown. I had begged my mom to buy it for me after hearing ‘In The End’ play on the radio on a car ride home.

Distortion guitar + DJ scratching + Rap = Great stuff.

The same thing happened years later at 15 years old when I discovered Paramore’s ‘Riot’ album. I was broke, as most teenagers are, but I gladly paid the $17 to get that CD. If I had to put a soundtrack to my teenage years, ‘Riot’ would be the album I’d choose.

I wonder sometimes if kids these days get to dive deeply into an artists’ work like I did when I was younger. Since all I had were CDs (mp3 players and iPods were becoming a thing and I did get one at 13, but they hadn’t yet erased physical music copies), I consumed the same music over and over again, for months and in some cases even years. I connected with these artists in a way I feel has changed today.

Peeling off the plastic wrap off the CD, flipping through the lyric book and images, it was an experience. The renaissance of vinyl and even cassette tapes today has certainly shown that interest in physical music is not dead. Although I feel like vinyl and cassette tapes have two different demographics, I’m not sure cassettes will survive past the 90s trend that is all the rage at the moment. Only time will tell.

Physical music requires care and attention; making sure the vinyl is properly stored so it doesn’t warp, making sure the CD is properly handled so it doesn’t get scratched and start skipping. 

It was a whole thing, and I look back on it fondly.

But listen, I’m not a purist. I have a Spotify account, and a ‘various’ playlist where I compile a bunch of catchy songs from artists I don’t know outside of their one single I added. I get recommendations from the algorithm and sometimes love these suggested artists (I discovered Wet Leg, Frankie and The Witch Fingers and The Beaches thanks to the ol’ algo).

But, I guess since I’m in the process of printing CDs for my own band, I wonder about physical music and its importance now.

CDs and The Car

Last year, I rediscovered CDs while being on the road travelling across Australia. My girlfriend and I bought a car that was equipped with Pearl Jam’s iconic album ‘Ten’ and a friend of ours, Mike, generously gave us Pearl Jam’s CD ‘Vitalogy’ to add to our stack before hitting the road.

So we pretty much blasted only Pearl Jam records for over a month. It was great. There are many spotty data places in Australia, opening Spotify wasn’t even an option half the time. We would drive for an average of 3 to 6 hours a day, and both albums would be played daily.

It made me realize that I don’t have the same patience with music today as I used to. Because it’s so easy to skip with Spotify. It’s so easy to disregard an album if it doesn’t catch my attention right out the gate. Long intro? Skip. Only semi-enjoying this song? Skip.

On this road trip, I had to sit there and listen. It was either that or 4 hours of silence. Some songs I didn’t love in the beginning started to take a turn on me, I was suddenly singing all the lyrics and bopping my head to them. Since I was “forced” to listen, I started finding diamonds in the rough so to speak.

Foster A Better Fan Relationship

From an artist perspective, providing fans with the option to buy a physical CD or vinyl gives them a chance to create a genuine connection with you and perhaps even a more long-term relationship since they now have a thing they can hold in their hands. I decided to create CDs for my own music because it was way more cost-effective than vinyl (longer wait times, bigger minimum purchase orders and all-around pricier because of demand).

Another thing I didn’t expect was the overwhelming pride I feel when I hold my own CD. I created this thing. It’s a really great feeling.

All this to say, I encourage anyone to rediscover physical music. I’ve been buying vinyl for a few years now, rarely but still. Rediscovering CDs in the car last year has been something I’ve loved and I’m now buying CDs for the first time in about 10 years. It helps me connect with the music, see the project as a whole instead of individual chapters (singles) and just generally care about it more. Give it a try!